Roswell Officer On Leave After Keeping Teen In Cold Car

ROSWELL, GA — Another Roswell police officer has been placed on administrative leave after a report revealed he made a detained teenager wearing wet clothing sit in the back of a frigid patrol car with the windows rolled down and the vehicle's heater turned off.

Sgt. Daniel Elzey is on leave after a report compiled by WXIA-TV detailed the incident. The teen was detained when he was found by another officer driving a golf cart on Highway 9 near Elkins Road during the overnight hours of Jan. 2.

According to the NBC affiliate's story, Elzey was placed on leave on Thursday, July 19, more than six months after the incident. Roswell police has since released the incident report and the video, which can be viewed below, from the responding officer's body camera, which provides about 90 minutes worth of footage.

A Roswell officer pulled over the teen on the golf cart around 12:47 a.m. and asked where the 13-year-old was going. The teen, the report said, told the officer he was going to Starbucks and that his mother was on a date with a man "he did not know." His mother, the teen said, also works as a manager at the Rosemont Apartments where he lived and would sometimes allow him to ride around in the golf cart.

The teen, the report indicates, had grass over his knees and "his sweater sleeves were soaked and frozen in this cold weather." Accuweather notes the low temperature from Jan. 1-2 was around 11 to 16 degrees.

According to the bodycam footage, the teenager changes his story and said he was walking when he stumbled upon the golf cart, which he said was abandoned at a nearby school. The officer asks the teenager to provide his apartment unit number so they could get him home, but the teenager said he could not remember it. He also gave police a number he claimed belonged to his mother, but when officers tried to call the number, it continues to ring and does not go to a voicemail recording.

(For more news like this, find your local Patch here. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app; download the free Patch Android app here)

Another officer arrives at the scene, and uses 911 dispatchers to make contact with Rosemont keyholder to determine if the juvenile's mother was employed at the apartment complex. The keyholder did not recognize the woman's name, so officers continue to grill the teen in an effort to get the necessary details from him. This goes on for several minutes, as the officers keep trying to track down his mother to avoid taking the 13-year-old to the Youth Detention Center in Atlanta.

Sgt. Elzey eventually arrives at the scene and, according to the bodycam video, can be seen getting into the officer's car, rolling down the windows and turning off the heat. He tells the teen to think for a few minutes about providing his mother's name, phone number and his home address, and he'll check back with him in a few minutes. Elzey and the other officer retreats to the sergeant's vehicle.

"He's not going to say anything if it's warm," Elzey said as he gets into the car. "He can sit over there and be cold....that's why I rolled your windows down."

After a few minutes of waiting, Elzey returns to the vehicle where the teen is sitting and asks for him to recount how he came to be in possession of the golf cart. The teen, who said doesn't know his mother's phone number, provides the sergeant with her address. With this information in hand, Elzey tells the young man that he will drive to the address provided and "if I make contact with mom, we'll get some heat going."

According to the incident report of the situation, after several rounds of questions and a lengthy amount of time, the 13-year-old admits that his mother wasn't really on a date, but that she was at home. He did not live in Rosemont complex, but lived in another community. He also provided the correct number to reach his mother. The teen's mother was finally contacted, and the sergeant and officer traveled to the location to return the teenager to his mom.

The teen's mother "expressed her frustration to officers on scene," the report adds.

"She stated that she has two older boys that are both in college and that [her son] has caused trouble several times in the past," the report adds. "He is constantly in trouble with school and has been suspended several times. Officers met with the two older brothers at the residence. They also expressed their frustration with the situation with [the juvenile]."

Officers were never able to determine who owned the golf cart, which did not have a serial number or any identifying marks.

Roswell City Administrator Gary Palmer on Wednesday said the city is committed to getting to the bottom of what's ailing the city's Police Department. In a message posted on its Facebook page, Roswell shared a message penned by Palmer addressing recent news stories about the law enforcement agency.

"It is clear to me, the mayor and council and the chief of police that what you are seeing are symptoms of bigger issues; issues that we need to clearly identify and deliberately address as expeditiously as possible," Palmer said.

Palmer reiterated that the city will launch a full investigation into the Police Department, which Palmer said involves him soliciting proposals from around the country of independent firms to come and "scrutinize every aspect of our police operations, identify the issues and make and recommendations on solutions through a formal final report."

Once a contract is signed, Palmer said he expects the report will be compiled with three to six months, but that could depend on the "intensity" of the probe. In the meantime, the police department led by Grant will undergo an internal investigation to make any immediate changes. Palmer also said he's directed city staff to create a website where Roswell will upload videos and pertinent details related to the recent cases making the news. This website will also allow residents to keep abreast of any internal investigations as they move through the process.

"As your city administrator, I am stunned by the lack of professionalism and compassion displayed by some of our officers," he added. "Chief Grant, the mayor and council and I are committed to ensuring that all of our officers understand and embody the qualities of professionalism and compassion as they perform their duties. Those who do not share these values and meet these community standards should be, and will be, removed from service."

You can watch the bodycam footage from the traffic stop with the teenager below:

Images via screenshots from Roswell Police Department's YouTube video