SEBRING — Sheriff Susan Benton accepted a letter of resignation Monday from a deputy who was charged in April by the U.S. Coast Guard with intoxicated operation of a vessel, while boating in a Pine Island canal. Former deputy Craig Skipper reportedly took an excursion in his boat on April 18, when he was stopped by the U.S. Coast Guard after a complaint was filed. Coast guard officials reported Skipper appeared intoxicated but he refused twice to take a sobriety test, an investigation report by Sheriff's Internal Affairs Officer Lt. Gus Garcia stated. The agency received a complaint that the boat was "operating on plane" (speeding) in a no wake zone and that the boat operator was "exposing himself," Garcia's report stated. ...more

June 24, 2008

SEBRING — After an internal investigation by Sheriff's Lt. Gus Garcia, a registered nurse in the Highlands County Jail was cleared of an allegation of racism toward a Hispanic coworker. The conclusion: "Basically, she was rude to almost everybody," said Garcia, internal affairs officer. "She even admitted herself that she can be rude." According to the investigation, registered nurse Dorothy Reed, a mental health coordinator, was accused by coworker Edna Rosario-Girona of racial bias and rudeness. On Sept. 26, Rosario-Girona complained to Sheriff's Detention Cmdr. Maj. David Paeplow that Reed was disrespectful and rude to her because she was Hispanic. Reed is a supervisor in the detention bureau medical staff. Rosario-Girona is an LPN and member of the medical staff. ...more

November 5, 2007