Ex-Sanford police chief: Zimmerman probe 'taken away from us'

cnn ^ | 7/10/2013 | Eliott C. McLaughlin

[tobyhill]

The George Zimmerman investigation was hijacked "in a number of ways" by outside forces, said the former police chief of Sanford, Florida.

Bill Lee, who testified Monday in Zimmerman's second-degree murder trial, told CNN's George Howell in an exclusive interview that he felt pressure from city officials to arrest Zimmerman to placate the public rather than as a matter of justice.

"It was (relayed) to me that they just wanted an arrest. They didn't care if it got dismissed later," he said. "You don't do that."

When Sanford police arrived on the scene on February 26, 2012, after Zimmerman fatally shot unarmed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, they conducted a "sound" investigation, and the evidence provided no probable cause to arrest Zimmerman at the scene, he said.

It had nothing to do with Florida's controversial "Stand Your Ground" law, he said; from an investigative standpoint, it was purely a matter of self-defense.

[cyn]

Already posted earlier today.

[clintonh8r]

Hey, Bill, thanks for speaking up. Finally.

[al baby]

Thread cop

[snarkytart]

This was already posted but you know what? It should be posted every hour. If this isn’t an example of total corruption I don’t know what is. This needs to be investigated but hey when the man who unleashed Angela Corey on Zimmerman is a so-called good conservative Republican, the Governor of Florida, what can ya’ do? There are no real social conservatives left with balls to take on the Corey and the DOJ and city of Sanford city officials in this case.

[LyinLibs]

“This was already posted but you know what? It should be posted every hour.”

Good point!