PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. – Pembroke Park Commissioner Geoffrey Jacobs’ November 911 call stating the town’s mayor had a gun — prompting a public search in the commission chambers — was not only unfounded, but criminal, Broward prosecutors have determined.
About three months after the Nov. 8 town commission meeting came to an abrupt stop, with the town’s police chief searching Mayor Ashira Mohammed’s bag, the Broward State Attorney’s Office chose to charge Jacobs with misuse of 911.
That came after after the town’s police department forwarded an investigation into the matter to prosecutors.
According to investigatory documents, Jacobs, 48, told a Pembroke Park police officer he was “in fear for his safety” due to his belief that Mohammed was armed.
He claimed, police said, that he had been “threatened” by Mohammed’s family and friends and said he was being “targeted” by the mayor through the issuance of code enforcement violations.
“The Town’s Commission is corrupt and needs to be investigated,” police said Jacobs told the officer.
The officer wrote, “Jacobs also stated that he’s tired of this town harassing him and that he’s tired of T.V. news channels showing up at his residence.”
Police said Chief Ra Shana Dabney-Donovan, at the commission meeting, told Jacobs she takes the concerns seriously and they would be “addressed accordingly and investigated.”
“In response to the Chief’s comments, Commissioner Jacobs repeatedly stated that he does not trust the Police Chief, which is the reason why he contacted the Broward Sheriff’s Office and not Pembroke Park Police Department to investigate his complaint,” the Pembroke Park officer wrote.
The town’s acting city manager would later tell police that he had “never seen, heard nor observed Mayor Ashira Mohammed having a firearm on (the) property.”
Jacobs was given a misdemeanor summons and will not be taken to jail or given a mug shot, Local 10 News has learned.
According to court records, he’s scheduled to be arraigned on April 9.
Local 10 News emailed Jacobs seeking comment on the charge. His attorney, Michael Pizzi, released a statement over the weekend:
“The Commissioner has not seen and is not aware of any charges against him. However, the Commissioner did not misuse the 911 system or engage in any wrongdoing. Commissioner Jacobs has been the victim of a relentless and never ending political persecution by political enemies because he has relentlessly exposed corruption in the City. The Mayor and Commission have misspent thousands of tax dollars on a witch hunt against him and any charges are the result of political pressure and will be dismissed and result in the City and its officials being liable for several million dollars in damages caused him and his family.”
Michael Pizzi, Jacobs' attorney