August 28, 2020
DELTONA, FLA. – Following an FDLE investigation, charges have been filed against two Central Florida law enforcement officers for falsifying a report, a misdemeanor. FDLE began its investigation in June at the request of Volusia County Sheriff Michael Chitwood.
Agents say Orange County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Brian Calkins gave Phillip Donaldson—who at the time was a deputy for Volusia County Sheriff’s Office—two firearms that he said he got from a cousin. Calkins asked Donaldson to dispose of the weapons, a revolver and semi-automatic pistol. Donaldson asked other VCSO deputies how he should dispose of the weapons, but after learning one of the weapons was stolen, he and Calkins worked to make up a story about where the weapons came from.
Donaldson wrote in his VCSO report that an elderly female stopped him and gave him the guns saying she had found them in the bushes outside her home earlier in the day. After the report was written, other VCSO deputies, including Donaldson’s supervisor, became suspicious of the conflicting stories, reported their concerns and contacted FDLE. Donaldson resigned the day after he wrote the report.
Because the charges are misdemeanors, Calkins and Donaldson were given an October notice to appear in court. The Office of the State Attorney, Seventh Judicial Circuit, will prosecute the case.
