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All Charges Dropped Against Former Police Lieutenant Involved In Fatal Pedestrian Crash
December 4, 2021
All charges have been dropped against a former police officer that was involved in a fatal pedestrian crash last September in Pensacola.
Alvin Odessel Godwin, 74, was charged with DUI manslaughter after his pickup truck hit a pedestrian who was walking westbound on an Airport Boulevard sidewalk between The Fresh Market and Sam’s Club.
But a toxicology report showed he did not have alcohol or any controlled substance in his system.
“A review of the totality of the circumstances leads to a finding that insufficient evidence exists to prove that the defendant’s apparent impairment at the time of the crash was caused by consumption of alcohol or controlled substances,” court records state. “The Florida Department of Law Enforcement crime lab’s analysis of the defendant’s timely legal blood draw determined that there was no alcohol or controlled substances in his blood after the crash.”
According to police, Godwin retired from the Pensacola Police Department as a lieutenant about 20 years ago.
NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Comments
28 Responses to “All Charges Dropped Against Former Police Lieutenant Involved In Fatal Pedestrian Crash”
I have known A.O Godwin over 40 years and have never known him to intentionally hurt anyone. He is a great individual and has always served the community well. We pray for the family of the deceased as well as A.O. Godwin.
Dont worry guys, the police investigated themselves and found bo wrongdoing. Nothing to see here.
O.k. Lynne! I just found out what a “tia” was so sorry for that…and I hope that ur husband is o.k. I should have looked it up before I made a comment! Prayers to u, ur husband, and the deceased…seriously! D.B.
Seriously, I don’t want the police lieutenant to go to jail but…u and I would have gotten man slaughter at the least! Our system sucks the big one!
The man in question is my husband! He did have a medical emergency, called a TIA. He had no alcohol or Drugs in his system. It was an accident, and yes, a person was killed which will be with my husband for the rest of his life. He was on the police force 20 years ago for 33 years. He had an exemplary record. This is not a man that would hurt anyone except to protect an individual in danger. He is kind, thoughtful and caring. It hurts me to know people think so poorly of him and the police Dept. whom are out there every day trying to protect you. There are 99% great cops out there at all hours trying to protect you and your rights and only 1% whom do the wrong thing but get 99% of the attention. Just know that he, in no way, wanted to hurt anyone and we are both very upset this man’s life was taken.
Funny how every cop would be acting the same way until proven innocent but they do and say and abuse there authority for higher gain and to do as they please there are still good officers out there but those good officers turn a blind eye from time to time just like the dirty ones can’t trust any law enforcement because if you make them made they will do what they want , especially when you hit them with your rights that they take an oath to protect and abide by the laws same as every citizen
Folks on here with ZERO knowledge of the case but 100% certain of a conspiracy. You are what people call FOOLS. You dance around yapping off just to push some narrative against what ever you dont like.
A investigation was done. The retired officer was 20 years AWAY from the agency. Labs dont lie, the test are sent in blindly so as to preclude any known persons or assumptions.
The 70 year old man did not mean to do what happened that is why you call it a Accident, there was no crime.. .
CONTEMPLATING:
“Self called law abiding citizens made every excuse they could to justify EVERY atrocity they committed.”
While true, I fail to see how it applies here.
He was charged by the police because they thought he was guilty; they didn’t ignore it because he used to be a policeman. Charges involving DUI were dropped because toxicology tests showed he was not guilty of DUI. What happened was a tragedy, but not an atrocity — unless you know something we don’t — some proof that he did it with malice or evil intent. If you just hate police — or former police, that’s a whole ‘nother can of worms.
David for truth
A LOT of apologists chiming in with excuses. The lot of you would be screaming for a public hanging if it was the other way around. Every uniform has their groupies. The SA(Storm Troopers), SS(Schutzstaffel), and the Gestapo (Geheime Staatspolizei)(German secret state police) , you know,the German/ NAZI POLICE had theirs too. Self called law abiding citizens made every excuse they could to justify EVERY atrocity they committed. Times don’t change. People rarely do either. SAD
REGARDING:
“As a paramedic I’ve run on a lot of calls that sounded like the patient may have been drunk but turns out they had a medical condition that caused the wreck.”
I knew of one who seemed to others to be drunk other than the fact there was no sign of alcohol or other drug. It turned out to be West Nile Virus. He didn’t know it when he left for work, very nearly died.
David for self driving cars and medical research
Its not what you know or do,,, ITS who you know
REGARDING:
“Doesn’t there have to be some type of intent, recklessness or negligence in order for a crime to be committed?”
Pretty much.
Driving while impaired would have qualified, had it happened. Failure to have your vehicle under control would count. That would justify vehicular manslaughter charges, just not DUI vehicular manslaughter charges. A jury would then decide guilt or innocence if charged. They tend to not charge when they don’t believe they can prove their case — too many other actual, provable crimes to keep them busy.
David for wisdom
@ R Mullin
Convenient? Convenient for the guy who killed someone or the dead guy? You can’t be serious.
How Convenient.
Doesn’t there have to be some type of intent, recklessness or negligence in order for a crime to be committed?
I’m pretty sure all they can do is say its ‘medical cause’ in that circumstance, being it was not alcohol or drug/medication …legally, a person’s health issues can not be released without consent!!
Hope hes ok, sending positive energy to all involved
@William 2
We live in a society where the citizens believe that all cops are bad merely for what they do for a living.
Seems to me that people want this man charged because he is a retired LEO and not because of the facts. Medical emergencies happen and the patients don’t always recognize the problem as it it’s occurring. This was a terrible accident and nothing else!!! PRAYERS FOR ALL INVOLVED, MAY YOU FIND PEACE AND FORGIVENESS!!!
I once got a ticket for going five miles over the speed limit on the interstate. This guy leaves the road and kills a human being, but gets nothing.
So sad to see so many people who are intellectually bankrupt and can’t grasp the fact that the gentlemen may have had a medical episode.
Basically you’re saying it’s the persons fault that they have something such as a seizure.
What was his medical condition if he wasn’t drunk?
How many know someone with a medical condition (such as a diabetic) who have an episode where they do not know where they are and how they got there? This is possibly what happened to this retired officer. Reading the comments from some of the responders to this story make me think they wrote their comments without thinking. I am sorry someone died and feel bad for the family of the deceased, but this was probably caused by a medical situation and this retired officer probably feels terrible about what happened.
Soooo if you or someone you knew had a medical emergency, went unconscious and injured/killed someone, you would be expected to be charged with a crime? If there weren’t charges filed, retired LEO or not, then there was a medical emergency and wasn’t nefarious in nature. That is what our society has come to. Suspicious of everything and ready to condemn everybody of everything. Unbelievable!
Traumaqueen, I personally know of only 2 wrecks caused by medical conditions. No injuries to others, but both caused major damage. In both cases, the drivers were charged, their licenses suspended or revoked, and they had to pay court ordered damage costs.
Sooooo……it’s ok to run someone over ON THE SIDEWALK if and only if you’re not under the influence of drugs or alcohol………AND you have to be police/retired police. Dually noted!!
Okay so no DUI, but he still left the roadway and struck a pedestrian on a sidewalk. There has to be some crime there…I would hope.
I thought from the first time I heard this that this could’ve been a medical call. As a paramedic I’ve run on a lot of calls that sounded like the patient may have been drunk but turns out they had a medical condition that caused the wreck.
I’m a little confused here….this gentleman drove up on a sidewalk and ran over a person walking and killed them. Regardless if he didn’t have alcohol in his system or drugs in his system where is the justice for the victim? A charge of some kind is warranted here or are we saying it’s ok to just run people over as they are walking around town?