06-01-2007, 02:56 PM
By Nancy L. Othón
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Posted June 1 2007
A former Palm Beach County sheriff's lieutenant, recently criticized for his role in a car chase, has sued his former employer, Sheriff Ric Bradshaw, and other officials at the agency, claiming he has been discredited and his reputation has suffered.
In the lawsuit filed Tuesday in Palm Beach County Circuit Court, Patrick O'Hara demands $1 million from Bradshaw as well as sheriff's spokesman Paul Miller and six other sheriff's employees named as defendants.
O'Hara resigned from the agency and is running for sheriff. Last month, an internal report about last year's 33-minute car chase that ended in Delray Beach faulted O'Hara for not allowing deputies to use tire deflation devices to stop the chase earlier. The chase went from Forest Hill Boulevard to Delray Beach, ending when a car hit Antonio Isaias Jr.'s vehicle. More than 280 rounds were fired after Isaias shot at deputies in a 12-second confrontation. Isaias, who was shot 31 times, died at the scene.
On Thursday, O'Hara remained steadfast that he did nothing wrong in his supervision of the chase.
"A bad guy that was dangerous to a lot of people was taken off the streets, and there was nobody injured," he said.
O'Hara took issue with the way sheriff's officials handled the internal report, claiming that inflammatory statements were made to reporters.
"The way they handled it publicly was totally unnecessary," O'Hara said.
He added that his campaign for sheriff has been seriously hampered.
"I can't even go out in public without wondering what people think of me," he said.
Miller declined to comment on the lawsuit.
Nancy L. Othón can be reached at nothon@sun-sentinel.com or 561-228-5502.
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Posted June 1 2007
A former Palm Beach County sheriff's lieutenant, recently criticized for his role in a car chase, has sued his former employer, Sheriff Ric Bradshaw, and other officials at the agency, claiming he has been discredited and his reputation has suffered.
In the lawsuit filed Tuesday in Palm Beach County Circuit Court, Patrick O'Hara demands $1 million from Bradshaw as well as sheriff's spokesman Paul Miller and six other sheriff's employees named as defendants.
O'Hara resigned from the agency and is running for sheriff. Last month, an internal report about last year's 33-minute car chase that ended in Delray Beach faulted O'Hara for not allowing deputies to use tire deflation devices to stop the chase earlier. The chase went from Forest Hill Boulevard to Delray Beach, ending when a car hit Antonio Isaias Jr.'s vehicle. More than 280 rounds were fired after Isaias shot at deputies in a 12-second confrontation. Isaias, who was shot 31 times, died at the scene.
On Thursday, O'Hara remained steadfast that he did nothing wrong in his supervision of the chase.
"A bad guy that was dangerous to a lot of people was taken off the streets, and there was nobody injured," he said.
O'Hara took issue with the way sheriff's officials handled the internal report, claiming that inflammatory statements were made to reporters.
"The way they handled it publicly was totally unnecessary," O'Hara said.
He added that his campaign for sheriff has been seriously hampered.
"I can't even go out in public without wondering what people think of me," he said.
Miller declined to comment on the lawsuit.
Nancy L. Othón can be reached at nothon@sun-sentinel.com or 561-228-5502.