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Highlands Today

Deputy Cleared Of Alerting Friends To Undercover Operation

TWO DEPUTIES COUNSELED, 1 WARNED, 1 REPRIMANDED

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By Joe  Seelig | Highlands Today

Published: June 25, 2008

SEBRING —A Highlands County Sheriff's internal investigation cleared one deputy of an accusation that she tipped off friends at Paul's Harbourside Restaurant and Lounge about a sheriff's undercover operation on Aug. 4, involving the sale of alcohol to minors.

The sheriff's deputy was a trainee at the time of the undercover operation.

While she was cleared of the accusation, she was later counseled about discussing an open investigation with others.

After reviewing a report by Sheriff's Lt. Gus Garcia, internal affairs investigator, Sheriff's Capt. Paul Blackman concluded the accusation was unfounded and agreed with Garcia's recommendation that that the matter be reclassified as an administrative investigation, which would not go on the deputy's permanent record.

When Blackman passed on his findings, Sheriff Susan Benton recommended that aside from counseling, another deputy involved in spreading a rumor was to be counseled, one formally warned and one was formally reprimanded.

It came to the attention of Deputy Cara Mosely on Nov. 27 - through the rumor mill - that allegedly the deputy trainee had called to warn some of her friends who were at the bar where the undercover operation was taking place.

The trainee was positioned across U.S. 27 at the National Guard Armory building along with her field training officer, Deputy Tex Thomas, and several other deputies as back-up, including deputies Ross Porter and Craig Skipper.

Mosely and an underage civilian operative entered the bar on Aug. 4 to check if the bartenders were asking underage people for identification.

The trainee told Garcia that at some point Thomas pointed out that the trainee's brother's truck was across the street in the bar's parking lot and he told her not to call anyone.

She told him she was not going to call anyone.

Thomas' recollection was slightly different, but ultimately he informed Garcia that he did tell the trainee that she didn't' "need to be calling anyone."

It appears that this may have been overheard by other deputies, Garcia noted, and was misinterpreted and later grew into the rumor.

A check of the trainee's cell phone records showed that she didn't call anyone during the undercover operation, Garcia noted.

He also wrote that Skipper was not straightforward and was waffling in his testimony.

When Mosely heard the rumor, it raised flags and reminded her of two unusual incidents that happened prior to the arrest. As they entered the parking lot a car with several females who were leaving yelled obscenities at them.

Secondly, she believed she and the operative got a lot of unwanted attention at the lakeside Tiki bar with people staring at them. One female at the bar blew cigarette smoke on the operative as she ordered her alcoholic beverage.

Two Harbourside bartenders were arrested there that night.

Deputy Chris Carr was counseled and reminded of the sheriff's office code of conduct regarding the use of discretion.

Deputy Ross Porter received a formal warning regarding the code of conduct on use of discretion, as well as on his oath of office and canon of ethics regarding relationships with colleagues, constructive criticisms and responsibility for personal integrity.

Craig Skipper, who has since resigned from the sheriff's office during an internal investigation involving a boating incident in Pine Island, was issued a formal reprimand regarding the sheriff's code of conduct in regard to truthfulness and discretion. Also he was disciplined for a violation of his oath of office and canon of ethics regarding personal integrity. A misconduct complaint was processing regarding a lack of confidentiality with regard to an open case.

Joe Seelig can be contacted at jseelig@highlandstoday.com

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