Besides the Valentine Dance debacle, are there any other incidents involving Escambia County deputies that would support the “Wild West” label?
Here are a few from the past year:
Dec. 2006: An Escambia County Deputy William Kevin Dennis fired for criminal violations, willful disregard of duties and untruthfulness, and may face criminal charges.Willful disregard of duties. · Negligence — not endangering. · Untruthfulness in an official inquiry. · Conduct unbecoming a member of the Sheriff’s Office. · Criminal violations.
Feb 2007: A former deputy Charles Dix pleaded guilty to willfully using excessive force. While employed as a deputy sheriff, Dix used his stun gun on a citizen while she was in a store parking lot in Pensacola, Fla.
May 2007: The May 24Â IN cover story is about a soccer Mom who was arrested and handcuffed in front of her children over a $40 disputed dog grooming bill.
July 2007: A mistrial was declared in the trial of a former Escambia Sheriff’s Deputy accused of beating a teenager. The jury in the trial of Christian Coad could not reach a verdict. The judge had no choice but to declare the mistrial. The case will be retried in late September. A video from Coad’s cruiser showed that on April 5 Deputy Coad slapping Senario Carter in the head several times after Carter had dropped to the ground with his arms spread. Coad was fired and later charged with misdemeanor battery.
June 2007: A former Escambia County deputy James Sullivan pleaded no contest to a charge that he burned on a barbecue grill a videotape of himself allegedly using excessive force against a handcuffed suspect. The ex-deputy faces a maximum sentence of five years in state prison after his plea to a felony charge of tampering with evidence. Circuit Judge Linda Nobles did not immediately set a sentencing date.
We don’t have such problems in Santa Rosa and Okalossa counties