MIAMI — The Broward County State Attorney’s Office has cleared a Miami police officer of wrongdoing after he was initially accused of failing to show up at a court hearing related to a littering citation from years ago, Local 10 learned Friday.
According to Miami Police Union President Felix Del Rosario, Officer Guillermo Arteaga, 35, paid a small fine related to the citation.
He was issued the citation on April 18, 2020, by a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officer who claimed to have spotted Arteaga dumping litter on the side of Pembroke Road and U.S. 27 in Pembroke Pines.
Del Rosario says a clerical error led to a warrant being issued for Arteaga’s arrest for allegedly missing a June 2023 court hearing for the citation, which had already been paid.
“Court records show Arteaga’s case was adjudicated and resolved on November 2, 2020, with fees paid by May 4, 2021, yet the State Attorney’s Office erroneously filed new charges in May 2023 - well beyond Florida’s two-year statute of limitations for such offenses,” the Miami Fraternal Order of Police said in a news release.
Arteaga was taken into custody Tuesday and released on a $50 bond.
“This was an inexcusable prosecutorial error that should never have happened,” Robert Buschel, Arteaga’s attorney, said in a statement. “Officer Arteaga resolved this matter years ago by paying a $25.00 fine. To arrest him again on the same charge, particularly after the statute of limitations expired, is a colossal breakdown in the system.”
Del Rosario said he plans to reach out to both the governor’s office and Florida’s attorney general to flag the mishap and prompt an investigation into how this mistake occurred.
“This incident highlights the importance of having strong legal representation and union support for our officers,” he said. “Officer Arteaga did nothing wrong - he followed the law, resolved his case properly, and was subjected to this ordeal due to administrative failures by the prosecutor’s office.”
In a nolle prosequi memorandum, the Broward County State Attorney’s Office apologized to Arteaga and extended an invitation for him to meet with State Attorney Harold Pryor.
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