Photos for Headline Surfer / Above & Below / Screenshots from a swearing-in video ceremony of Sanford Police Chief Cecil Smith swearing in several police recruits in July 2021, including William Hamlin, arrested by Casselberry Police on Thursday on a domestic battery charge involving his ex-girlfriend who sought hospital treatment for a torn leg tendon allegedly from a jiu-jitsu move by Hamlin.
By HENRY FREDERICK / Headline Surfer
SANFORD, FLA. -- A 25-year-old Sanford cop has been placed on administrative leave pending the results of a criminal investigation following his arrest by Casselberry police on a domestic violence charge for allegedly using a jiu-jitsu move on his ex-girlfriend, that resulted in a torn tendon in her right leg and a sprained ankle.
Sanford Police were notified by the Casselberry Police Department on Thursday of a domestic violence investigation involving William Hamlin who was arrested hours earlier.
Hamlin was immediately placed on Administrative Leave pending the outcome of both the criminal and administrative investigation.
Sanford Police issued a written statement acknowledging the arrest of Hamlin along with a quote by Police Chief Cecil Smith pledging, “We will investigate every aspect of the incident and allegation. We ask for patience as we work through this process as we make every effort to be thorough and transparent with the outcome.”
Smith swore Hamlin in as a new Sanford cop a year ago this month.
The Casselberry Police Department notified Sanford police about the domestic violence investigation involving Hamlin and he was immediately placed on administrative leave, which is customary following criminal charges being lodged against a sworn officer of the Sanford police force.
No further information was released by either department, but Headline Surfer accessed the arrest affidavit filed by Casselberry PD against Hamlin via a public records download of Seminole County Clerk of the Court.
Here is a synopsis of what occurred leading to the arrest of Sanford cop William Hamlin as described in the Casselberry arrest affidavit:
At 5:55 p.m. Wednesday, July 20, Casselberry police responded to a call at a residence in the 1100 block of Quintuplet Drive, and a preliminary investigation by responding cops revealed William Hamlin, an off-duty Sanford police officer, committed battery upon an adult female earlier in the day, whose identity was blacked out on the report, but described as his ex-girlfriend who he was living with until three days earlier when they apparently broke up.
According to the arrest affidavit, Hamlin intentionally struck the victim's right leg with a jiu-jitsu move, that caused bruising, a sprained ankle, and a torn tendon. Hanson also pulled out the female's belly button piercing against her will causing abrasions, bruising and minor bleeding. Hamlin intentionally caused bodily harm to the female victim to which she sought treatment at South Seminole Hospital where she received treatment and her injuries were documented, according to the arrest affidavit.
Casselberry cops noted on the arrest affidavit that the victim and Hamlin were in an intimate relationship for four years and were engaged for about a year and living in the same Casselberry household during that time until before breaking up on July 17, three days before Hamlin showed up and physically attacked her during an argument.
According to the arrest affidavit, Hamlin intentionally struck the victim's right leg with a jiu-jitsu move, that caused bruising, a sprained ankle, and a torn tendon. Hanson also pulled out the female's belly button piercing against her will causing abrasions, bruising and minor bleeding. Hamlin intentionally caused bodily harm to the female victim to which she sought treatment at South Seminole Hospital where she received treatment and her injuries were documented, according to the arrest affidavit. Casselberry cops noted on the arrest affidavit that the victim and Hamlin were in an intimate relationship for four years and were engaged for about a year and living in the same Casselberry household during that time until before breaking up on July 17, three days before Hamlin showed up and physically attacked her during an argument.
Hamlin was arrested in connection with the physical assault upon his ex-girlfriend and charged with battery causing bodily harm - domestic battery and transported to the Seminole County Jail in Sanford on a no-bond status, pending a first appearance in court the following day.
Hamlin was released from jail on a $500 bond after his first appearance before Judge James J. Dekleva. No plea was entered y Hamlin who represented himself before the judge.
Hamlin is scheduled for arraignment to answer the first-degree misdemeanor charge before Judge Mark E. Herr on Aug. 19, at the Criminal Justice Center in Sanford.
About the Byline Writer: Henry Frederick is a member of the working press and publisher of Headline Surfer, the award-winning 24/7 internet news outlet launched in 2008, that serves greater Daytona Beach, Sanford & Orlando from Lake Mary, Florida via HeadlineSurfer.com. Frederick has amassed close to 150 award-winning bylines in print & online. He earned his Master of Arts in New Media Journalism from Full Sail University in 2019. He was a breaking news reporter (metro cops & courts beat) for the Daytona Beach News-Journal for nearly a decade. And Before that worked the same beat for The Journal-News/Gannett Suburban Newspapers in Rockland/Westchester counties, NY, dating back to 1989. Having witnessed the execution of serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Florida's death chamber and covering other high-profile cases such as the George Zimmerman murder trial, Frederick has appeared on national crime documentary shows on Discovery ID, Reelz, and the Oxygen Network series "Snapped" for his analysis. AWJ: