BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – A five-year battle to clear his name is now over for a Brevard County tourist from Michigan.
Jon Schoonmaker, a trauma counselor, told News 6 he and his wife traveled through Port St. John in January 2018, and they were looking for a SpaceX rocket that was scheduled to be launched across the Indian River that night.
Dash camera video obtained from the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office by Schoonmaker’s attorney shows Schoonmaker’s car drifting in his lane before he was pulled over.
The video shows the deputy conducting a field sobriety test on Schoonmaker, a test the deputy claims he failed.
“At this point, I have no choice but to place you under arrest for a DUI,” the deputy is heard telling him.
Schoonmaker’s lab results later confirmed that he was not intoxicated.
He filed a lawsuit against the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office claiming he was falsely arrested.
News 6 discovered he settled with the agency in late March.
“I think Justice is in the process of being served,” Schoonmaker told News 6.
Under the terms of the settlement, his attorney said the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office will pay him $45,000, issue a letter of apology from the sheriff’s command staff, and schedule an in-person meeting with Undersheriff Douglas Waller, who oversees the training of deputies.
That meeting is required to happen within the next 60 days.
“Maybe there needs to be some sensitivity training around ‘everybody has a story,” Schoonmaker told News 6. “When you pull somebody over, you have to begin to understand their story before you start arresting.”
News 6 investigated and found out this settlement with Brevard County Sheriff’s Office comes as law enforcement agencies across the country are settling similar lawsuits.
According to data compiled by FiveThirtyEight, the Orlando Police Department has paid approximately $100,000 to settle cases of false arrest since 2010.
The Fort Lauderdale Police Department has paid out $231,879 to settle cases claiming false arrest, and the Miami Police Department has paid $875,649 in similar cases since 2010.
“I think the settlement allows us to maybe move forward, rather than just push this under the rug,” Schoonmaker said.
The Brevard County Sheriff’s Office said they did not comment on pending litigation when News 6 first reported this story in 2022.
They have not responded to a request for a comment on the settlement with Schoonmaker.
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