Officer charged in relation to death of woman (UPDATED 09/21)

Editor’s note: This article has been updated to reflect a change in bond status.

A Marion County Sheriff’s Office deputy with eight years of service was arrested and charged with manslaughter on Sept. 19 after he allegedly shot his girlfriend in the forehead with a non-agency weapon while the couple was having a gun cleaning and training session after gun cleaning supplies were delivered.

Polina Wright was found deceased at the scene. Leslie Dale Boileau was immediately terminated by MCSO, according to an MCSO spokesperson. He had previously been assigned to patrol.

Boileau told an OPD dispatcher there was an “accidental discharge” at the residence where the couple lived. He later was arrested at the Ocala Police Department on Thursday night after he was transported there by officers who responded to the home, according to an OPD arrest document.

The responding OPD officers found Boileau standing behind Wright, who was seated in a chair and had a 9mm Glock pistol in her lap. A Daniel Defense pistol rifle was on the kitchen table, the arrest document indicated.

“I was cleaning the guns, we were pointing them at each other,” Boileau reportedly stated to an OPD officer.

An OPD spokesperson confirmed the victim was shot with the Daniel Defense rifle. The arrest document states that an investigator executing a search warrant, found a Glock 9mm with a magazine inserted at one side of a dining room table and a Daniel Defense pistol rifle at the other side. A spent 5.56 caliber shell casing was also found.

Boileau told officers he and Wright went to a restaurant on Southeast 5th Avenue and had three Margaritas each and returned home between 10 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. The arrest document stated gun cleaning supplies had been delivered to the residence and “prompted Wright to inquire about firearms.”

“She was like, I want you to teach me how to use them, I want you to teach me how to use them. Okay, we will, we will, we will. We were pointing them at each other, and the gun went off,” Boileau told an officer who asked if the shooting occurred during gun cleaning.

“Boileau stated during the cleaning/firearm training scenarios he was providing to Wright, they were pointing firearms in the direction of one another, which Boileau knew was wrong, based on his profession as law enforcement officer,” the arrest document stated.

“During the cleaning/training scenarios, Boileau stated he pointed the rifle in Wright’s direction, pulled the trigger one time, which ultimately fired a round towards Wright, which ultimately struck Wright in the forehead, in between her eyes. After realizing Wright had been shot,
Boileau held her until law enforcement/EMS arrived on the scene,” according to the arrest document.

Boileau said “yes” he was holding an AR weapon at the time.

The arrest document states, “Wright began handling a 9mm Glock handgun, which Boileau noticed was fully loaded. Boileau took the 9mm Glock from Wright to clear the weapon of any live ammunition. Once the 9mm Glock was cleared, Boileau allowed Wright to dry fire the weapon.”

“Boileau stated he grabbed the rifle and dry fired it one time. On the second dry fire attempt, Boileau had forgotten that he placed the loaded magazine into the rifle, which shot one live round in the direction of Wright, ultimately killing her. Boileau claimed he did not chamber a live round from the rifle magazine. After realizing Wright had sustained a gunshot wound, Boileau held her until OPD/EMS arrived,” the arrest document stated.

“I know this looks really bad,” Boileau stated according to the arrest document. “I told her I did not want this to happen, I did not want to train her in the f—— house like this.”

Boileau told an investigator they had done “similar training in the past.”

Boileau told an investigator his behavior was “sloppy.” The arrest documents cite statements by Boileau that align with physical evidence and “carelessness” handling firearms in light of his profession as reasons for the charges.

MCSO Public Information Officer Lt. Paul Bloom stated in an email that Boileau had Florida Department of Law Enforcement weapon handling qualifications.

“All deputies at a minimum conform to that (FDLE) standard and we include additional firearms training annually for each deputy. Our firearms, whether agency issued or personal, are to be secure and handled safely at all times,” Bloom wrote.

Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods stated in a release he is heartbroken for the victim’s family and friends and said his office will support OPD in the investigation.

“We are heartbroken for the family and friends of the victim. Tens of thousands of law enforcement officers do their job commendably every day. But unfortunately, the tragic actions of just one are felt through the entire law enforcement community,” Woods stated.

Boileau was booked into to Marion County Jail on a no bond basis, according to the arrest document.

UPDATE: Boileau faced Fifth Judicial Circuit Court Judge Stacey Youmans on Saturday morning at his first appearance as the sole inmate in the room, dressed in a beige/yellow jumpsuit and represented by local attorney Jimmie Sparrow.

Youmans reviewed Boileau’s rights and stated that she found probable cause to charge him in the case. He remained subdued during the proceeding.

Sparrow, a criminal attorney and former Belleview Police Department officer according to jsparrowlaw.com, argued that Boileau‘s bond should be reduced from “no bond” status to a “reasonable amount” of $25,000.

Sparrow cited Boileau’s eight-year career as a public servant, no criminal history and Boileau “wasn’t going anywhere.” Sparrow called the death a “tragic accident.”

The State Attorney’s Office was represented by Assistant State Attorney Tucker O’Neill.

Sparrow stated after the proceedings that the “state requested no bond and argued it should be no less than $50,000.”

Youmans set the bond at $30,000 and forbid Boileau to possess firearms or weapons.

Sparrow stated he expected his client would bond out of jail today and confirmed the State Attorney’s Office asked for Boileau to not contact the victim’s next of kin.

The next court appearance for Boileau is set for Oct. 22.