Kevin Finley spent nearly two years fighting charges before vehicle footage supported his account and prompted new scrutiny of the traffic stop.
WINTER SPRINGS, FL — A Winter Springs police officer has resigned after a local man used video from his Tesla to challenge the officer’s account of an attempted traffic stop, leading a judge to acquit the driver after a criminal case that lasted nearly two years.
Kevin Finley said he was driving home after dropping off his children at school when he passed a police vehicle that was stopped in a median. The officer later accused Finley of fleeing an attempted traffic stop and reckless driving. Finley maintained that he never realized the officer was trying to stop him. Video recorded by his Tesla later became a central part of his defense and showed that the police vehicle’s emergency lights were visible only briefly before curves in the road and nearby buildings blocked the view.
The encounter escalated when Finley reached his home. He said he parked inside his garage but reopened the door after hearing sirens outside. Officers were waiting with guns drawn, and Finley was ordered to the ground and placed in handcuffs in his driveway. Body-camera footage reported by FOX 35 Orlando captured officers discussing whether Finley could face a felony fleeing charge or traffic violations.
Finley repeatedly told officers that he had not intentionally fled and had not seen the emergency lights or heard a siren while driving home. The officer involved interpreted Finley’s actions differently and believed he was trying to get away. The conflicting accounts became a central issue as the criminal case moved through Seminole County court.
The case remained pending for nearly two years before Finley was able to present the Tesla recordings in court. After reviewing the footage and hearing the evidence, the judge granted a judgment of acquittal before the case could be decided by a jury. Reporting on the case said the video showed only a short opportunity for Finley to see the emergency lights of the unmarked police vehicle.
The acquittal did not immediately end the fallout from the encounter. Finley filed a complaint with the Winter Springs Police Department, and the department opened an internal investigation into the officer’s conduct. Police Chief Matthew Tracht later confirmed that the officer involved had resigned before that investigation was completed. The department has not publicly identified the former officer in the reports reviewed for this story.
Tracht also contacted Finley and apologized, according to Finley’s account to FOX 35. In a public statement, the chief said the conduct surrounding the incident did not meet the standards he expected of officers serving the department and the community. Tracht said the situation could have been handled differently and that the department would evaluate its actions and practices to identify lessons from the case.
Finley said the apology came too late after almost two years of criminal proceedings, legal expenses and damage he said the arrest caused to his reputation. He has retained an attorney and plans to pursue a civil lawsuit seeking damages connected to the encounter and the cost of defending himself. No court finding of civil liability has been made, and the reports reviewed did not identify a filed civil complaint as of the latest update.
The resignation closes the officer’s employment with Winter Springs but not all questions surrounding the case. The department’s internal review was not completed before the officer left, while Finley’s planned civil action could bring additional scrutiny to the arrest, the officer’s account and the department’s handling of the complaint.
Author note: Last updated October 22, 2026.