Woman arrested when accusations against FMPD officer backfire

FORT MYERS, Fla.- A woman who claimed a Fort Myers Police Department officer demanded money from her in exchange for not taking her to jail has been arrested.

Ashley Bills, 28, of North Fort Myers, was arrested on Friday for making a false police report.

On February 29, authorities say Bills was involved in a traffic crash. An officer on the scene discovered Bills had a suspended license so she received a citation for the infraction.

While Bills remained at the scene of the crash, police say she contacted a friend and asked him to bring her $500 in cash, claiming the officer would not take her to jail if she paid him, authorities said. Bills’ friend was not able to get the full amount, but police say he did show up with $250 to give to Bills.

Several days after the crash, Bills told her friend the FMPD officer contacted her and demanded another $250 or she would be arrested. At this point, the man decided to contact an attorney who called police, officials said.

Investigators say under oath, Bills stated that the officer demanded the $500 in order for her to avoid going to jail and she admitted to receiving money from her friend. Bills said she recently received custody of her child and did not want to go back to prison.

She also told investigators the officer agreed to accept half of the money at the accident scene and he would call her for the other half at a later date. Bills stated the officer called her a few days later and demanded the remaining $250.

During the investigation of the allegations, investigators found inconsistencies with Bills’ story while reviewing the officer’s dash cam video from the scene of the crash. Statements made by Bills’ friend also contradicted what she told authorities, police said.

After avoiding investigators for several days, Bills had a mandatory meeting with her probation officer on March 10 where authorities say she admitted to making up the entire story about the officer. Bills admitted that she kept the $250 given to her by her friend and used it for personal expenses.

“We take complaints of misconduct very seriously and we will continue to investigate them fully. However, we will pursue charges against anyone who knowingly makes a false police report against any law enforcement officer or any another member of our community,” Lieutenant Jay Rodriguez.