Veteran detective who staged crime won’t do jail time

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A 10-year-veteran sheriff’s detective who fled a hit-and-run and then elaborately staged a fake crime scene involving his unmarked car has been sentenced to 11 months’ probation.

The Florida Times-Union reported Tuesday that former Clay County Sheriff’s Office Detective Mark Andrews was found guilty of leaving the scene of an accident resulting in damage and falsely reporting a crime. Andrews also lost his law-enforcement certification.

Deputies responding to the hit-and-run on New Year’s Eve found Andrews’ sheriff’s office car abandoned near his home with his Taser and ammunition scattered across the yard. Andrew claimed it was stolen while he was asleep.

Chief Assistant State Attorney Leh Hutton denied the public defender’s request for a wrongful-conviction review of Andrews’ past cases because he was off-duty at the time.

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Information from: The (Jacksonville) Florida Times-Union, http://www.jacksonville.com