Police Chief Exonerated in Illegal Search Allegations

BRADENTON – Last month, a BPD officer accused Bradenton's Chief of Police Melanie Bevan of conducting an illegal search. Bradenton Mayor Gene Brown announced that the city would secure an outside investigation. On Tuesday, Brown announced that Bevan had been exonerated by that review.

The city engaged retired Judge Gregory Holder of the Zinober Diana & Monteverde, P.A. law firm to review the evidence and decide whether violations had occurred. After reviewing the internal affairs summary, relevant statements, body cam footage, and investigator interviews, Holder determined Bevan had not committed policy violations.

"Based upon my review of Chief Bevan's actions involving the momentary detention of the two individuals exiting the defendant Wimberly's residence and the pat-down of the male, as well as the cursory sweep of the residence during and shortly after the apprehension of the suspect, I conclude that absolutely no Fourth Amendment concerns or violations were implicated by these actions," wrote Holder in his conclusion.

Click here to read the legal review in full.

A couple of weeks after the initial allegations, four additional former and current BPD officers filed complaints against Bevan on unrelated allegations.