im glad someone is standing up to these pieces of crap....

[the Disemboweler]

these arent law enforcement professionals they are the scum of the earth....you f*** with someones daughter you deserve what you get....i just saw the video on foxnews....if that was my child i would have bruatlly beaten each piece of trash to death with my own hands....

June 20, 2006

Union, Flagler sheriff denounce state attorney

By KENYA WOODARD
Staff Writer

BUNNELL -- Local law enforcement officials came out swinging Monday, accusing State Attorney John Tanner of leading a "crusade" against local police and deputies and calling his investigation of the Flagler County Jail a "witch hunt."

Flanked by dozens of employees of the Flagler County Sheriff's Office and supporters, local and state representatives of the Coastal Florida Police Benevolent Association gathered outside Tanner's Daytona Beach office to protest Tanner's investigation of the Flagler jail. The controversy has included two jail guards being charged with twice strapping Tanner's daughter into a restraint chair in March 2005.

Jim Spearing, the union's statewide political coordinator, called for Gov. Jeb Bush to remove Tanner from the jail investigation and replace him with officials from State Attorney General Charlie Crist's office.

The union also wants Bush to launch a separate probe of the state attorney because Tanner's investigation of wrongdoing at the jail has gone too far, Spearing said.

"This has evolved into a witch hunt, the likes of which we have never seen," he said. "The only solution we see is this case taken away from somebody with an ax to grind."

Alia Faraj, a spokeswoman for Bush, said the governor's office had not received a letter of complaint from the police union as of Monday.

Flagler County Sheriff Don Fleming, who until Monday refrained from openly criticizing Tanner, held his own press conference Monday afternoon denouncing the state attorney's investigation as a "personal vendetta" against his department.

"I can no longer remain silent while our deputies are targeted by a misguided and malicious prosecution," he said.

It was Fleming who requested that Tanner investigate all use of force at the jail since the sheriff took office in January 2005.

The Daytona Beach News-Journal asked to speak with Tanner about today's events, but Tanner spokeswoman Linda Pruitt said he was not speaking about the investigation.

Law enforcement officials are outraged over a series of investigations that have resulted in seven jail guards and the jail's former director Dan Nagy being charged with wrongdoing.

The latest charges were handed down last week when a Flagler County grand jury charged John O'Keefe, Samuel Ferris, Anthony Allen Buendo, Louis Joseph Miceli and Brian Pasquariello with abusing disabled men in two separate incidents.

The charges are part of Tanner's investigation of use of force by deputies assigned to the jail. All indicted deputies have been placed on paid administrative leave.

Nagy resigned from his position in May. Pasquariello is also facing charges of false imprisonment and culpable negligence by a separate grand jury -- convened by special prosecutor Jerry Hill of the 10th Judicial Circuit in Polk County -- for his role in strapping Tanner's daughter, Lisa, into the restraint chair. Betty Miller Lavictoire is charged with false imprisonment, culpable negligence and battery for her part in strapping Lisa Tanner into the chair.

Another jail guard, Cynthia Jenkins, was charged with battery, conspiracy and perjury for using pepper spray on another inmate. Lisa Tanner was twice restrained after her March 2005 arrest in Flagler Beach.

Union representatives and Fleming say Tanner's investigation is no longer "unbiased" and accuse the state attorney of abusing his power.

Spearing said an investigation would not be necessary if Lisa Tanner had "gone to the jail and acted like an adult."

"I think Mr. Tanner needs to spend more time disciplining his child and not persecuting our officers," he said.

In the letter to the governor, local union President Vince Champion said Tanner's investigation is "in direct retaliation for what he believes was the mistreatment of his daughter Lisa Tanner."

Champion's letter accuses Tanner of conducting a "witch hunt" against Flagler County deputies and having "gone on a personal crusade" against Flagler Beach Police Officer Nathaniel Juratovac.

Juratovac was the officer who arrested Lisa Tanner in March 2005 and November 2005. Following recommendations made by Hill's grand jury, Tanner announced that his office would dismiss all pending criminal cases "based solely" or "dependent in any material way" on Juratovac's testimony. Juratovac is on paid administrative leave. He was not indicted.

Champion's letter said, "We believe that Mr. Tanner is blinded by his emotional feelings for his daughter and is out for revenge rather than to seek justice."

Fleming, in his statement, said his office was "in the process of examining and assessing information that I believe will clearly demonstrate Mr. Tanner's malice and campaign of revenge against the Flagler County Sheriff's Office."

Fleming declined to say what information he had.

kenya.woodard