Tampa, Florida - Four Hillsborough Sheriff’s Deputies are on suspension following an incident where a quadriplegic was dumped out of a wheelchair as he was being booked into jail.
The incident was caught on tape showing a detention deputy, Charlette Marshall-Jones, dumping Brian Sterner onto the ground as he was being booked into the Hillsborough jail.
"There is no excuse. This is indefensible," says Hillsborough Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy Joe Docobo. Docobo says he couldn't believe what he saw and neither could Sheriff David Gee, who is currently out of town. Gee saw the incident on our web site Monday night.
According to Docobo, Gee told him "he is as equally disgusted about this incident" as most of people around the Sheriff's Office are.
Sterner, who is angry about the incident, says he was speechless when he saw the tape. Sterner had not seen it until we aired it, but as watched it he says was also thankful.
"I'm very glad there was a camera present when they did this to me," he says.
Sterner's attorney, John Trevena says what happened at the Orient Road Jail wasn't just disgusting, it was criminal.
"We believe this case merits criminal charges," Trevena says. According to Trevena, "There is a specific statute that deals with battery on a disabled person and we believe this case merits that."
Meanwhile, the attorney for Deputy Steve Dickey is demanding a retraction after we reported his client appeared to be laughing after Sterner was dumped on the ground, and Dickey's wife called several times to assert the deputy wasn't laughing. But both Sterner and Docobo don't see it that way.
"When I saw that one deputy laugh, that's when my blood started to boil," Sterner says.
When asked if a deputy was laughing, Docobo answers, "It appears that way to me, which makes it all the worse, quite honestly."
And that's why Docobo says heads must roll.
"Based on what I saw, anything short of dismissal would be inappropriate," he says.
That is exactly how Sterner and the majority of the people who saw our story on Monday seem to feel as well.
The deputy who dumped Sterner is suspended without pay. The other three supervisors are suspended with pay.
In response to many questions about Sterner's condition, he is classified as a quadriplegic; even though he can move his arms, he has lost most of the muscle use in his hands.
http://origin.tampabays10.com/video/news/?aid=55892&sid=73832
http://www.tbo.com/video/xml/MGBQXIDQKCF.html
somebody is gonna get some serious $$$$ out of this deal......
The incident was caught on tape showing a detention deputy, Charlette Marshall-Jones, dumping Brian Sterner onto the ground as he was being booked into the Hillsborough jail.
"There is no excuse. This is indefensible," says Hillsborough Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy Joe Docobo. Docobo says he couldn't believe what he saw and neither could Sheriff David Gee, who is currently out of town. Gee saw the incident on our web site Monday night.
According to Docobo, Gee told him "he is as equally disgusted about this incident" as most of people around the Sheriff's Office are.
Sterner, who is angry about the incident, says he was speechless when he saw the tape. Sterner had not seen it until we aired it, but as watched it he says was also thankful.
"I'm very glad there was a camera present when they did this to me," he says.
Sterner's attorney, John Trevena says what happened at the Orient Road Jail wasn't just disgusting, it was criminal.
"We believe this case merits criminal charges," Trevena says. According to Trevena, "There is a specific statute that deals with battery on a disabled person and we believe this case merits that."
Meanwhile, the attorney for Deputy Steve Dickey is demanding a retraction after we reported his client appeared to be laughing after Sterner was dumped on the ground, and Dickey's wife called several times to assert the deputy wasn't laughing. But both Sterner and Docobo don't see it that way.
"When I saw that one deputy laugh, that's when my blood started to boil," Sterner says.
When asked if a deputy was laughing, Docobo answers, "It appears that way to me, which makes it all the worse, quite honestly."
And that's why Docobo says heads must roll.
"Based on what I saw, anything short of dismissal would be inappropriate," he says.
That is exactly how Sterner and the majority of the people who saw our story on Monday seem to feel as well.
The deputy who dumped Sterner is suspended without pay. The other three supervisors are suspended with pay.
In response to many questions about Sterner's condition, he is classified as a quadriplegic; even though he can move his arms, he has lost most of the muscle use in his hands.
http://origin.tampabays10.com/video/news/?aid=55892&sid=73832
http://www.tbo.com/video/xml/MGBQXIDQKCF.html
somebody is gonna get some serious $$$$ out of this deal......
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