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Crestview looks for new police chief

The Panhandle town of Crestview is looking for a new police chief. As Sascha Cordner reports, the city's mayor fired Police Chief Brian Mitchell Wednesday.

Mayor David Cadle says an ongoing investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement led to the indictment and arrest of former police Major Joseph Floyd. He’s been charged with racketeering for allegedly abusing and intimidating residents and officers, while working directly under former police chief Brian Mitchell. So, Cadle suspended both in March, and decided to conduct his own investigation into the department.

“As a result from that investigation, I came to the conclusion that I’d lost confidence in Chief Mitchell’s leadership ability and the cause of his lack of supervisory role over his subordinate that had caused a hostile workplace environment, and I felt the citizens of Crestview no longer felt confident over his leadership, and I felt it was time for a change.”

While Mitchell was terminated Wednesday, Floyd has not been with the department since weeks after his arrest in March, and has a trial date set for May 29th. Cadle says Police Major Ken Bundrick will act as the interim police chief.

Sascha Cordner has more than ten years of public radio experience. It includes working at NPR member station WUFT-FM in Gainesville for several years. She's worked in both radio and TV, serving in various capacities as a reporter, producer and anchor. She's also a graduate of the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree in telecommunications. She is the recipient of 15 awards from the Associated Press, Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), and Edward R. Murrow. Her award-winning stories include her coverage on the infamous “Dozier School for Boys” and a feature titled "Male Breast Cancer: Lost in the Sea of Pink." Currently, Sascha serves as the host and producer of local and state news content for the afternoon news program "All Things Considered" at WFSU. Sascha primarily covers criminal justice and social services issues. When she's not reporting, Sascha likes catching up on her favorite TV shows, singing and reading. Follow Sascha Cordner on Twitter:@SaschaCordner.