JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – An officer with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office resigned after he was arrested in connection with a hit-and-run crash Saturday on the city’s Westside.
Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters held a news conference Tuesday to announce the arrest of John Burr on third-degree felony charges. (Watch the entire news conference in the video player above)
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Waters said Burr was driving a marked JSO vehicle on Argyle Forest Boulevard around noon when he rear-ended a stopped vehicle. The victim said she saw Burr with his head down before the collision. Instead of stopping after the crash, the former officer left the scene.
According to Burr’s arrest report, the victim attempted to follow the police car and began honking her horn to gain the officer’s attention. However, the victim reported the officer began weaving in and out of traffic dangerously. She was able to get police vehicle’s tag and stopped to contact JSO
The driver of the car, who is three weeks post operation from a medical procedure, was left with a minor injury and taken to a local hospital, Waters said. She complained of neck and lower back pain, according to JSO.
Burr was arrested and accused of leaving the scene of a crash involving injury later that night and quickly resigned.
Burr was employed by JSO for one year and eight months at the time of his arrest, Waters said.
The arrest marks the fourth arrest of a JSO employee in 2024.
“It’s embarrassing for the agency. It’s embarrassing for the men and women who work hard every day,” Waters said. “There’s 99% who don’t do these kinds of things. don’t quite understand why he did it. It’s fairly a minor situation that did not have to escalate to this level. But when you when you do the things that you did in this situation we have to we’re gonna do what we’re supposed to do and hold them accountable.”
Waters said the former officer’s actions were like the “Donkey of the Day,” a reference to the daily segment on “The Breakfast Club” radio show where host Charlamagne tha God rants about “stupid” criminals, celebrities and politicians.
“I‘m not trying to be funny. It’s like the Donkey of the Day. Why would you do that? It doesn’t make any sense,” Waters said. “It’s simple. Stop.”
“Just stop, we’ll come work it take pictures, you’ll probably get disciplined, no doubt about it, if it’s your fault, but termination and arrest would not be part of the situation. So, it’s something minor. I believe he probably got afraid, got scared and made a bad decision.”
Burr bonded out of jail on Sunday and is set to appear in court on May 4.