KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Numerous changes have been announced at the Kissimmee Police Department after a letter from State Attorney Andrew Bain's office questioned the truthfulness and fitness for duty of 11 officers.

In the wake of the Oct. 21 letter, Kissimmee City Manager Mike Steigerwald said in a statement Monday that Police Chief Betty Holland and Deputy Chief Camille Alicea both resigned their positions. Detective Jonathan Fernandez and officer Milagros Sanchez have been placed on administrative duty, and Cpl. Justin Lunsford has been removed from his role in Internal Affairs.

The letter stems from an investigation Bain's office conducted concerning officer Andrew Baseggio, who is accused of assaulting Sean David Kastner on April 22, 2023. Baseggio is currently facing numerous charges in the case, including felony battery, two counts of tampering with a witness, official misconduct, solicitation of perjury and battery.

In the letter to the city about its investigation, Bain's office said Baseggio "admitted in his sworn proffer interview that he falsified information in his initial report documenting his involvement in the April 2023 use of force on Sean Kastner."

"Officer Baseggio further admitted that he solicited a fellow officer to commit perjury," the letter continued.

Fernandez is accused of lying in his initial interview with Bain's office about the Kastner case, but in a subsequent interview, "admitted to providing untruthful testimony during his first interview." He is also accused of telling a fellow officer — Sgt. Raquel Fernandez — not to cooperate, or not fully cooperate, with the State Attorney's investigation.

Sanchez was accused in the State Attorney's letter of being untruthful in a July 3, 2024, interview and then admitting in a second interview that "she had intentionally provided false, misleading or incomplete answers during her July interview."

The letter went on to note that: "Text messages recovered from Officer Sanchez's phone contain statements that may constitute criminal conduct. Additionally, text messages found in Officer Sanchez's phone contain language and references to citizens that demonstrate a bias that calls into question her fitness to conduct criminal investigations."

Holland and Alicea were both accused of making statements to investigators that were inconsistent with other information the office received, which caused them to question the "accuracy or veracity" of their testimony.

Lunsford allegedly "acknowledged that he took actions in his role in Internal Affairs that demonstrated poor judgment considering the sensitive matters he is charged with handling," the State Attorney's letter said. "He also omitted important facts in his first interview that he only provided upon specific questioning in his second interview in September."

The letter did not include specific details about the information Lunsford was accused of omitting.

Other officers mentioned in the State Attorney's letter — who were not specifically addressed in Steigerwald's statement — included:

• Lt. Omar Berrio, who "stated unequivocally that he immediately recognized that Baseggio's use of force was not within Department policy." The letter notes, though, that "emails received in response to public records requests call the accuracy or veracity of his statements in the interview into question."
  
  
• Cpl. Takeya Close, whose statements in a sworn interview on Aug. 14, 2024, "are inconsistent with responses to public records requests received by the Office of the State Attorney in the form of emails and other documents."
  
  
• Sgt. Moises Diaz, who is accused of "deliberately" locking his department phone "to deny access to it by the Office of the State Attorney, despite being directed by Chief Holland to provide said access." The State Attorney's letter further accuses Diaz of giving testimony to investigators that "is inconsistent with testimony provided by other members of the Department, calling the accuracy and veracity of his statements under oath into question."
  
  
• Officer Michael Strickland, who the letter accuses of having text messages in his phone that "contain language and references to citizens that demonstrate bias that calls into question his fitness to conduct criminal investigations."

According to Steigerwald's statement Monday, the Orange County Sheriff's Office has been asked to investigate the officers mentioned in the State Attorney's letter.

Following Holland's resignation, Maj. Robert Anzueto — who has more than 30 years experience in law enforcement, including at the Orlando Police Department and Orange County Sheriff's Office — was named interim police chief effective Wednesday.

“We fully support the dedicated officers who serve our community with integrity,” Steigerwald said in his statement. “However, for those who do not meet our high standards, we will ensure a thorough, independent review of all allegations is performed and will make the necessary changes within the department to maintain trust.” 

He asked that residents not judge the entire police department on the actions of those listed in the State Attorney's letter.

“We recognize the issues posed by the actions of a few individuals,” Steigerwald said. “However, we are equally aware of the many dedicated officers who embody the values of service and integrity that should not go unnoticed. Our commitment to them, and to the community, is unwavering. Together, we will work to restore trust and ensure that every officer is held to the highest standards of conduct.”