After a civil suit was filed last month against the City of Gainesville following a 2023 wreck, records indicate what the officer’s discipline was.
The officer, Zachary Marise, was reportedly traveling on E.E. Butler Parkway when he allegedly ran through a red light and t-boned a person’s vehicle, causing it to overturn.
Open records documents from the Gainesville Police Department (GPD) indicate that Marise was to attend a remedial driver training course.
The disciplinary form indicates that Marise was responding to a fight in progress when the wreck occurred. It was also determined that the collision was preventable.
“Officer Marise will practice due regard when responding lights and sirens to emergency calls for service,” the document reads.
The disciplinary discussion was resolved by May 2, 2023.
The incident evaluation panel (IEP) from the collision indicated that there was over $10,000 in damages to civilian property and that this was Marise’s second accident. The first one was minor, or under $5,000 in damages.
The second incident generally involves a written warning and remedial driver training with risk management, both of which Marise did.
The lawsuit was filed March 13 in the State Court of Hall County. The plaintiffs, Orbelina Guevara-Villatoro; Samuel Villatoro; and Moses Villatoro, claim they suffered severe bodily injuries, property loss, and damages due to the incident.
The Villatoros are seeking compensation for all of their injuries, special damages for past and future medical expenses and lost wages, and the attorney’s fees.
The filing claims that Orbelina Guevara-Villatoro and Samiel Villatoro’s damages could exceed $500,000 and will likely be in a range of up to $1,000,000 each.
It also says that Moses Villatoro’s damages could exceed $400,000 and will likely be in the range of up to $700,000.
That's a total of roughly $1.4-million to $2.7-million in damages.
