PCSO cites Auburndale officer for unlawful speed in crash that killed 5-year-old girl

The Polk County Sheriff’s Office has found that an Auburndale Police officer was driving at excessive speed when his patrol truck collided with a vehicle in November, resulting in the death of a 5-year-old girl.

PCSO cited Sgt. Danny Swan for unlawful speed after its Traffic Unit determined that his marked APD Chevrolet Silverado truck was going 68 mph when it collided with a Kia Rio sedan in the intersection of U.S. 92 and Havendale Boulevard in Auburndale.

The Auburndale Police Department has opened an investigation of Swan, Chief Terry Storie said in a news release. The probe will focus on an allegation of unlawful speed and an allegation of a violation of department policy regarding operating a police vehicle during an emergency response.

The crash occurred just before 10 p.m. on Nov. 25, as Auburndale officers responded to a call for assistance from a PCSO deputy engaged with a combative suspect on U.S. 92 at Old Winter Haven Road, according to the release. Swan was driving eastbound on U.S. 92 at high speed with his lights and sirens activated as he approached the intersection with Havendale Boulevard.

The traffic light was red, and Swan braked as he neared the intersection, PCSO reported. The Kia, driven by Jermanica Anglin of Auburndale, entered the intersection, and Swan’s vehicle struck it, compacting the front end of the car. The angle of the collision caused intrusion into the engine compartment of the Kia from the front driver’s side corner toward the passenger side front wheel, the release said.

Anglin’s daughter, Jalina, a passenger in the rear seat of the Kia, was taken to Winter Haven Hospital but pronounced dead upon arrival, PCSO reported. Jermanica Anglin was treated for injuries, and Swan was unhurt.

The traffic light on U.S. 92 turned red when the truck was approximately 500 feet from the stop bar for the intersection, the release said. Despite the green light for drivers on Havendale Boulevard, other vehicles at the intersection did not proceed as the truck approached, the release said.

Anglin told investigators that she heard a siren but thought the vehicle was far away, the release said.

Swan’s vehicle was traveling at approximately 68 mph at impact, the report found, and the Kia’s impact speed was about 22 mph. The truck had been going 105 mph five seconds before the crash, the release said.

Both drivers wore seat belts, and Jalina was wearing a seatbelt but not seated in a booster seat or approved child-restraint device, as required by state law, PCSO reported.

Investigators determined that Swan violated a state law stating that a vehicle cannot be driven on a highway “at a speed greater than is reasonable and prudent under the conditions and having regard to the actual and potential hazards then existing.”

At Pipkin Road intersection where student died, new traffic lights should be working soon

The investigation found that Anglin had violated state laws on properly restraining a child in a vehicle and a requirement to yield to an approaching emergency vehicle with its lights or siren activated.

“The totality of the factors described in the report resulted in and/or contributed to the death of Jalina Anglin,” the news release said.

PCSO gave Swan a civil citation on Thursday but will not cite Anglin because of the tragic outcome of the crash, the release said.

Auburndale PD’s general orders include this statement: “Response speeds for Priority 1 responses shall not exceed a reasonable and prudent level based on the speed limit. Weather and traffic conditions shall always be considered when determining whether high speed driving is appropriate.”

Swan has been assigned to administrative, non-patrol duties since the crash, the release said. Storie said in November that Swan was "devastated" over the tragedy.

“This was a terrible, tragic accident,” Storie said in the release. “My heart goes out to Ms. Anglin and the loss she and her family have experienced from the death of Jalina. On behalf of our whole department and our city, I offer my sincere sympathies and prayers to the family and all those affected.”

Storie said that he could not discuss potential disciplinary actions until the internal review is complete.

Two organizations held a news conference in November and issued a news release criticizing the Auburndale Police Department and the Sheriff’s Office and disputing some details in PCSO’s description of the incident. The statement called for the federal Department of Justice to investigate and to charge Swan with vehicular manslaughter.

Gary White can be reached at gary.white@theledger.com or 863-802-7518. Follow on X @garywhite13.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Auburndale officer cited for unlawful speed in crash that killed girl