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City facing potential lawsuit after alleged wrongful arrest
A man is seeking $180,000 from the city of Edgewater after he says he was wrongly arrested and jailed for more than two days before charges were dropped.
EDGEWATER, Fla. - A man is seeking $180,000 from the City of Edgewater after he says he was wrongly arrested and jailed for more than two days before charges were dropped.
The man was taken into custody last year on a charge of resisting arrest without violence after an encounter with a police officer outside a business where he had been waiting for a ride.
The backstory:
On May 10, 2025, Paul Werd IV had just gotten off work at CVS and was waiting for his Lyft to arrive when Edgewater Police Officer Daniel Rippeon saw him go behind a pillar of the now-closed business.
Officer Rippeon explained his perspective in body camera video, saying Werd saw the officer pull up in his patrol vehicle, and began hiding behind a pole. He wrote in an arrest report that he went over to investigate the suspicious behavior.
Werd’s perspective is also heard in the body camera video. He told the officer he’d simply gotten up for a moment to put on his hoodie, and then sat back down.
Werd wound up getting arrested for resisting arrest without violence. He spent two and a half days in jail.
The State Attorney’s Office dropped the charges days later.
The lawsuit
Dan Faherty is the attorney representing Paul Werd in a civil dispute against the city of Edgewater.
The claim letter says the city can pay $180,000 to settle, or they will take this case to trial.
Faherty says Werd IV is mentally disabled, and is legally labeled "totally incapacitated."
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His grandparents are his court-appointed guardians.
Faherty wrote to the City of Edgewater alleging that during the two-and-a-half days Werd spent in jail, writing quote "He was so traumatized but the arrest that he engaged in self-harm… and needed emergency medical care."
"It was all much too excessive and the attitude and the behavior of the police officer should scare everybody who lives there," Faherty told FOX 35 Reporter Marie Edinger.
Officer Rippeon was placed on administrative leave during an internal affairs investigation on June 4th 2025 – about a month after this incident, and resigned the next day.
Edgewater’s Public Information Officer confirmed he’s no longer employed with the city. The City Manager said in a statement,
"The City of Edgewater is aware of the pre-civil suit notice, but, as this matter is pending civil litigation, we cannot provide further insight at this time."
The body cam
Body camera video shows Officer Daniel Rippeon approach Paul Werd IV, who was sitting on a bench outside CVS, and shouts, "What’s going on with you? ID card! Something with your name on it!"
"I’m not breaking the law, sir," Werd answered, gesturing to a Lyft driver who’d just arrived. "That’s my ride, I’m gonna go."
Werd gets up to go. Officer Rippeon tells him to stop, so he sits back down. Officer Rippeon tells him he’s resisting.
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"I work here sir, I just got off work. If you don’t believe me…"
"Dude, you’re gonna get Tased," Rippeon interrupts, pointing the Taser at Werd’s chest.
Officer Rippeon tells him to stand up, turn around, and put his hands behind his back. He does.
"Don’t move," Officer Rippeon says. "If you move, there’s a K9 in my car, you’re gonna get dog-bit."
The Source: This story was written based on information shared by the City of Edgewater, the State Attorney's Office for Seventh Judicial Circuit, and Dan Faherty, who is the attorney representing Paul Werd