New policies in Putnam County after wrong woman arrested

The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office has implemented more checks and balances in its warrant entry policies after an innocent woman was jailed for nearly four days earlier this month.

Action News Jax obtained an internal memo to Sheriff’s Office employees distributed on Aug. 17.

The memo told records and warrants employees that “all warrant entries will be second party verified by a Communications Bureau Supervisor.”

Robin Renee Coleman was mistakenly arrested by the Eustis Police Department on a Putnam County warrant.

Employees had combined her information with that of a wanted woman, Robyn White Coleman, when the warrant was created last November.

Records show that three PCSO employees were counseled for their handling of the warrant.

The clerks’ supervisor wrote last week that “beginning today, the passing of incomplete warrant or writ entries to another clerk is no longer authorized.”

The Aug. 17 memo also told employees:

“Any time a complaint, suggestion or information is received from the arrested party or other individual that the subject arrested is not the intended target of the warrant, your supervisor will be notified immediately and a thorough review will take place before any additional action is taken. Every available method of confirming that the correct person has been or is about to be taken into custody will be utilized to confirm identity."

Action News Jax law and safety expert Dale Carson said it’s likely any protests from Robin Renee Coleman fell on deaf ears.

“They would just look at you and say ‘right,’” said Carson. “Because everyone who is arrested on a warrant, one of the first inclinations is to say, ‘wait a minute, that’s not me.’”

The attorney for the Sheriff’s Office did not return multiple phone calls from Action News Jax Wednesday.

Cox Media Group