A police internal affairs investigation into an allegation that veteran officer Cpl. Darrell Rivers punched a woman twice last December has been dropped because of a lack of evidence, police said.
Vero Beach Police Chief David Currey said the woman behind the allegation recanted her initial statement that Rivers punched her during an argument at a county home. Rivers is expected to return to work on Friday, Currey said.
“When we interviewed her afterwards, her story changed,” Currey said. “She said (Rivers) didn’t hit her. There’s no evidence to support the allegation.”
The State Attorney’s office also investigated the case and decided to not file formal charges against Rivers, a veteran officer who has worked for the Vero Beach Police Department for nearly 29 years.
After the Dec. 23 incident, Rivers was arrested, charged with domestic violence-related battery and put on administrative leave with pay. He was released from the county jail on his own recognizance the next day and ordered to stay away from the woman.
Deputies said Rivers and the woman had gotten into an argument in a bedroom at a home. Rivers previously told deputies that the woman knocked a plate of food from his hands onto his shirt and then to the ground.
He also previously said he pushed the woman after she grabbed a metal picture and began to hit Rivers in the face and neck. Rivers denied punching the woman.
“He pushed her in an effort to get away from her,” Currey said. “She was the primary aggressor.”
Rivers ran as a candidate for Sheriff in 2016. Details on if the woman will be charged were not available.
