BRADENTON POLICE DEPARTMENT

NEWS RELEASE

Melanie Bevan, Ed. D. - Chief of Police

Date: August 31, 2020

On June 22, 2020, Chief Melanie Bevan initiated an Internal Affairs Investigation of Officer Jerard
Vonador after receiving a complaint regarding his Facebook page which allegedly displayed
inappropriate (insensitive and racially disparaging) material. As part of the investigation, a review
of Officer Vonador's personal Facebook account dating back to August 2019 was conducted,
revealing several questionable posts as well as posts deemed to be in direct violation of the
agency's policy regulating the use of social media by Department employees. Officer Vonador's
Facebook account identified him as an employee of the Bradenton Police Department.
Noteworthy, Officer Vonador had been warned previously of inappropriate Facebook messaging.

Of the most serious posts found, was a depiction of a purported dated press conference with
NAACP representatives standing with now well-known commentator Candace Owens at a young
age with accompanying verbiage. Officer Vonador additionally commented, “the nerve of this
coon" in referring to Ms. Owens. Officer Vonador repeated this same disparaging racial slur in an
additional post of Ms. Owens. There was a third (re)post which included Dr. Ben Carson and Ms.
Owens in a meme depicting them as Uncle Ben and Aunt Jemima.

Another of Officer Vonador's (re) post showed the message “Black people we need an app called
'Post up'. So that if one us of get pulled over we send a notification with the location and a bunch
of pull up strapped" (Strapped is slang for armed with a firearm). Officer Vonador commented on
this post “this is a good idea, but show up with a gun not just a camera," whereby encouraging
people to show up to traffic stops of African-Americans. Subsequent questioning of Officer
Vonador regarding this post confirmed the intent of his message.

A separate investigation was occurring simultaneously following a complaint by a victim in an

aggravated domestic battery, alleging mishandling by Officer Vonador. This investigation resulted
in the determination of several BPD policy violations as a result of the actions/inactions associated
with the incident to include the following: Officer Vonador failed to obtain available direct witness
testimony which corroborated the victim’s account of the incident despite the victim’s reporting
that her ex-boyfriend forcibly broke into her locked residence with a knife, and while armed,
threatened and battered her. Vonador’s police report and Capias Request failed to document this
(and other important elements and information) and referred to the incident only as a Simple
(misdemeanor) Battery. Additionally, his police report and Capias Request contained several
inaccuracies and significant omissions as determined via victim/witness/suspect testimony and his
in-car camera audio system. As a result of the above, the suspect's arrest was delayed, and the

100 10th Street West Bradenton, FL 34205 - 941-932-9300

www.bradentonpd.com
One City, One Team
 BRADENTON POLICE DEPARTMENT
NEWS RELEASE

Melanie Bevan, Ed. D. - Chief of Police

victim was left in fear. Upon learning of this incident, the case was re-investigated and the suspect
was arrested and charged accordingly.

The Bradenton Police Department strives to maintain a professional and unbiased agency, and
recognizes that all actions by police officers can impact community relations. Any conduct by
officers which impairs working relationships, impedes the performance of duties, negatively
affects the public perception of the agency, and fails to reflect our core values will not be tolerated.
Moreover, victims of crimes deserve a thorough and accurate investigation in furtherance of their
safety and well-being. It is imperative that BPD adheres to the highest level of integrity and ethics
to ensure the public is confident in the legitimacy of who we are as a law enforcement agency.

Officer Vonador’s employment with the Bradenton Police Department was terminated today
following the conclusion of these investigations.

100 10th Street West Bradenton, FL 34205 - 941-932-9300

www.bradentonpd.com
One City, One Team