04-12-2009, 01:52 PM
Meteoric is an accurate description of Lee Bushong's rise through the ranks of the Lee County Sheriff's Office.
Organized, articulate and dedicated, Fort Myers resident Madelin Ifrim called Bushong the most caring deputy she had ever met after he helped her retrieve her stolen boat and money in 2003.
Picking up praise, accommodations and stellar job reviews along the way, then-Lt. Bushong took charge of the agency's intelligent unit.
"We had a sergeant, a couple detectives and an analyst when I started several years ago,'' says Bushong, 34. "I grew this unit into a wonderful, intelligence-gathering monster of 42 people."
As brilliant as was Bushong's ascent, the Ohio native's fall from top was more spectacular.
He was busted March 18 from lieutenant to deputy for sending a threatening e-mail Jan. 23. He was found guilty of improper conduct and insubordination by abusiveness.
"I've researched it," says Bushong, shaking his head. "I cannot find anybody in the history of the sheriff's office that's been demoted three ranks." Bushong's career crashed March 18. It died April 3.
He was fired for calling a subordinate involved in the investigation and swearing at him. "I got demoted for using the word 'ass' and then I got fired for calling someone a '*****,'" Bushong says.
The report says in the e-mail - sent to Sgts. Jeremiah Marcotte and Christopher Shoap - Bushong was abusive and singled out Deputy Steve Drum for taking too much time away from the job, something that was going to stop in his unit.
In the e-mail, Bushong said he would "hang a small portion of your ass on my wall for decoration" if his order wasn't followed.
The question: Is Bushong a demeaning boss with an abusive mouth, or a demanding, gung-ho supervisor who uses salty language to make his points? "I live in a world of violence," he says. "My time in the Marine Corps, all we dealt with was that. I deal with the scumbags.
"(Profanity) is accepted language and lingo. This is natural verbiage that cops use. It's a world, if you will, of testosterone and men.
"We talk that way. We are a paramilitary organization with a command link structure. I tell an individual I'm going to hold them accountable. Now, we can debate what ass means all day long, but when it comes down to it, I had the interest of the office at heart. These guys signed up to do a job. I'm going to hold them to the job. I can't have them taking all this time off.''
Yet Sheriff Mike Scott disagrees with an intimidating management style.
"Lee's done a lot of good things here, but poor management is something we don't tolerate,'' Scott says. "I made him a deputy because he wouldn't have to supervise anybody.
"But five minutes after we demoted him, Lee is on the phone cussing out Steve Drum."
Bushong believes the agency overreacted.
Scott said Bushong's attitude in the e-mail was so arrogant and condescending it merited a three-rank demotion.
"Lee was demoted for the way he was talking to people and addressing them,'' the sheriff says. "I thought that e-mail was abominable. It wasn't so much that he used the word 'ass,' that's not right, but the issue is the tone.
"I wouldn't want a sergeant to come up under that type of leadership. (Bushong) should not be supervising people."
Although Bushong's record was clear of demerits, he says two differences with the sheriff hastened his demise.
He says Scott wanted him to research names and telephone numbers in agency programs for criminal histories in February.
After doing part of the request, Bushong said he asked Scott if the information was professional or personal and Scott told him it was personal.
"Well, you just put me in a hell of a position because I just violated some rules," Bushong says he told the sheriff. "We have a history at the sheriff's office for people who handle or misuse these programs. They were fired."
Scott says he recalls Bushong questioning him about a criminal search.
"That was an employment background check for Taylor Carpet," Scott says. "We check out a lot of people. It was a request from a local business."
Scott says there is no charge for the service.
Bushong also says he got on Scott's bad side when he defended Capt. Ferrante's behavior during a telephone call to Capt. Gary Kamp after Lt. Shane Hingston canceled a gun order for intelligence.
Bushong, sitting in Ferrante's office, says he told Scott that Ferrante did not threaten retaliation.
"I told the sheriff Kamp was a liar," Bushong says.
Ferrante, 39, resigned after Scott said he failed a polygraph about who was lying - him or Kamp, who Scott says passed the test.
Scott says he asked Lt. Chris Reeves and Bushong about the conversation.
"Chris said he was working on his budget before going on vacation and didn't really hear all that Dominick was saying," Scott says. "Lee said about the same thing, but about 10 minutes after that he told me if Kamp was sitting in that chair, he'd call him a liar to his face.
"If he didn't hear the whole conversation, how can he call Kamp a liar?"
"I'm admitting to the fact that I sent this e-mail," he says. "I'm just asking for no more strictness or no more leniency in punishment than anybody else would have for a similar offense - which I did not receive."
Bushong says he and Drum were friends, and if the e-mail offended him, Drum should have gone up the chain of command, not run to his "dive buddy," Major Jim Jones, head of criminal investigations. Jones and Drum are members of the sheriff's dive team.
"I never got a complaint from anybody for that e-mail," Bushong says. "And that was back in January."
Bushong says Dominick Ferrante, head of special operations, counseled him a week later.
"He understands the way I am, but he told me don't be silly and write things like that on paper," Bushong says.
He also says the sheriff did not follow agency rules of progressive discipline.
"I expected to get a written consultation or a suspension," he says.
Cape Coral attorney Stu Pepper, who will represent Bushong in his appeal for reinstatement by the Civil Service Board, says the sheriff ignored policy. "The sheriff has a policy of past disciplines," he says. "Since (Bushong) had none, the first step should have been corrective discipline. Probably a letter in his file. Don't do it again."
Scott said Bushong's attitude in the e-mail was so arrogant and condescending it merited a three-rank demotion.
"Lee was demoted for the way he was talking to people and addressing them,'' the sheriff says. "I thought that e-mail was abominable. It wasn't so much that he used the word 'ass,' that's not right, but the issue is the tone.
"I wouldn't want a sergeant to come up under that type of leadership. (Bushong) should not be supervising people."
Although Bushong's record was clear of demerits, he says two differences with the sheriff hastened his demise.
He says Scott wanted him to research names and telephone numbers in agency programs for criminal histories in February.
After doing part of the request, Bushong said he asked Scott if the information was professional or personal and Scott told him it was personal.
"Well, you just put me in a hell of a position because I just violated some rules," Bushong says he told the sheriff. "We have a history at the sheriff's office for people who handle or misuse these programs. They were fired."
Scott says he recalls Bushong questioning him about a criminal search.
"That was an employment background check for Taylor Carpet," Scott says. "We check out a lot of people. It was a request from a local business."
Scott says there is no charge for the service.
Bushong also says he got on Scott's bad side when he defended Capt. Ferrante's behavior during a telephone call to Capt. Gary Kamp after Lt. Shane Hingston canceled a gun order for intelligence.
Bushong, sitting in Ferrante's office, says he told Scott that Ferrante did not threaten retaliation.
"I told the sheriff Kamp was a liar," Bushong says.
Ferrante, 39, resigned after Scott said he failed a polygraph about who was lying - him or Kamp, who Scott says passed the test.
Scott says he asked Lt. Chris Reeves and Bushong about the conversation.
"Chris said he was working on his budget before going on vacation and didn't really hear all that Dominick was saying," Scott says. "Lee said about the same thing, but about 10 minutes after that he told me if Kamp was sitting in that chair, he'd call him a liar to his face.
"If he didn't hear the whole conversation, how can he call Kamp a liar?"
Organized, articulate and dedicated, Fort Myers resident Madelin Ifrim called Bushong the most caring deputy she had ever met after he helped her retrieve her stolen boat and money in 2003.
Picking up praise, accommodations and stellar job reviews along the way, then-Lt. Bushong took charge of the agency's intelligent unit.
"We had a sergeant, a couple detectives and an analyst when I started several years ago,'' says Bushong, 34. "I grew this unit into a wonderful, intelligence-gathering monster of 42 people."
As brilliant as was Bushong's ascent, the Ohio native's fall from top was more spectacular.
He was busted March 18 from lieutenant to deputy for sending a threatening e-mail Jan. 23. He was found guilty of improper conduct and insubordination by abusiveness.
"I've researched it," says Bushong, shaking his head. "I cannot find anybody in the history of the sheriff's office that's been demoted three ranks." Bushong's career crashed March 18. It died April 3.
He was fired for calling a subordinate involved in the investigation and swearing at him. "I got demoted for using the word 'ass' and then I got fired for calling someone a '*****,'" Bushong says.
The report says in the e-mail - sent to Sgts. Jeremiah Marcotte and Christopher Shoap - Bushong was abusive and singled out Deputy Steve Drum for taking too much time away from the job, something that was going to stop in his unit.
In the e-mail, Bushong said he would "hang a small portion of your ass on my wall for decoration" if his order wasn't followed.
The question: Is Bushong a demeaning boss with an abusive mouth, or a demanding, gung-ho supervisor who uses salty language to make his points? "I live in a world of violence," he says. "My time in the Marine Corps, all we dealt with was that. I deal with the scumbags.
"(Profanity) is accepted language and lingo. This is natural verbiage that cops use. It's a world, if you will, of testosterone and men.
"We talk that way. We are a paramilitary organization with a command link structure. I tell an individual I'm going to hold them accountable. Now, we can debate what ass means all day long, but when it comes down to it, I had the interest of the office at heart. These guys signed up to do a job. I'm going to hold them to the job. I can't have them taking all this time off.''
Yet Sheriff Mike Scott disagrees with an intimidating management style.
"Lee's done a lot of good things here, but poor management is something we don't tolerate,'' Scott says. "I made him a deputy because he wouldn't have to supervise anybody.
"But five minutes after we demoted him, Lee is on the phone cussing out Steve Drum."
Bushong believes the agency overreacted.
Scott said Bushong's attitude in the e-mail was so arrogant and condescending it merited a three-rank demotion.
"Lee was demoted for the way he was talking to people and addressing them,'' the sheriff says. "I thought that e-mail was abominable. It wasn't so much that he used the word 'ass,' that's not right, but the issue is the tone.
"I wouldn't want a sergeant to come up under that type of leadership. (Bushong) should not be supervising people."
Although Bushong's record was clear of demerits, he says two differences with the sheriff hastened his demise.
He says Scott wanted him to research names and telephone numbers in agency programs for criminal histories in February.
After doing part of the request, Bushong said he asked Scott if the information was professional or personal and Scott told him it was personal.
"Well, you just put me in a hell of a position because I just violated some rules," Bushong says he told the sheriff. "We have a history at the sheriff's office for people who handle or misuse these programs. They were fired."
Scott says he recalls Bushong questioning him about a criminal search.
"That was an employment background check for Taylor Carpet," Scott says. "We check out a lot of people. It was a request from a local business."
Scott says there is no charge for the service.
Bushong also says he got on Scott's bad side when he defended Capt. Ferrante's behavior during a telephone call to Capt. Gary Kamp after Lt. Shane Hingston canceled a gun order for intelligence.
Bushong, sitting in Ferrante's office, says he told Scott that Ferrante did not threaten retaliation.
"I told the sheriff Kamp was a liar," Bushong says.
Ferrante, 39, resigned after Scott said he failed a polygraph about who was lying - him or Kamp, who Scott says passed the test.
Scott says he asked Lt. Chris Reeves and Bushong about the conversation.
"Chris said he was working on his budget before going on vacation and didn't really hear all that Dominick was saying," Scott says. "Lee said about the same thing, but about 10 minutes after that he told me if Kamp was sitting in that chair, he'd call him a liar to his face.
"If he didn't hear the whole conversation, how can he call Kamp a liar?"
"I'm admitting to the fact that I sent this e-mail," he says. "I'm just asking for no more strictness or no more leniency in punishment than anybody else would have for a similar offense - which I did not receive."
Bushong says he and Drum were friends, and if the e-mail offended him, Drum should have gone up the chain of command, not run to his "dive buddy," Major Jim Jones, head of criminal investigations. Jones and Drum are members of the sheriff's dive team.
"I never got a complaint from anybody for that e-mail," Bushong says. "And that was back in January."
Bushong says Dominick Ferrante, head of special operations, counseled him a week later.
"He understands the way I am, but he told me don't be silly and write things like that on paper," Bushong says.
He also says the sheriff did not follow agency rules of progressive discipline.
"I expected to get a written consultation or a suspension," he says.
Cape Coral attorney Stu Pepper, who will represent Bushong in his appeal for reinstatement by the Civil Service Board, says the sheriff ignored policy. "The sheriff has a policy of past disciplines," he says. "Since (Bushong) had none, the first step should have been corrective discipline. Probably a letter in his file. Don't do it again."
Scott said Bushong's attitude in the e-mail was so arrogant and condescending it merited a three-rank demotion.
"Lee was demoted for the way he was talking to people and addressing them,'' the sheriff says. "I thought that e-mail was abominable. It wasn't so much that he used the word 'ass,' that's not right, but the issue is the tone.
"I wouldn't want a sergeant to come up under that type of leadership. (Bushong) should not be supervising people."
Although Bushong's record was clear of demerits, he says two differences with the sheriff hastened his demise.
He says Scott wanted him to research names and telephone numbers in agency programs for criminal histories in February.
After doing part of the request, Bushong said he asked Scott if the information was professional or personal and Scott told him it was personal.
"Well, you just put me in a hell of a position because I just violated some rules," Bushong says he told the sheriff. "We have a history at the sheriff's office for people who handle or misuse these programs. They were fired."
Scott says he recalls Bushong questioning him about a criminal search.
"That was an employment background check for Taylor Carpet," Scott says. "We check out a lot of people. It was a request from a local business."
Scott says there is no charge for the service.
Bushong also says he got on Scott's bad side when he defended Capt. Ferrante's behavior during a telephone call to Capt. Gary Kamp after Lt. Shane Hingston canceled a gun order for intelligence.
Bushong, sitting in Ferrante's office, says he told Scott that Ferrante did not threaten retaliation.
"I told the sheriff Kamp was a liar," Bushong says.
Ferrante, 39, resigned after Scott said he failed a polygraph about who was lying - him or Kamp, who Scott says passed the test.
Scott says he asked Lt. Chris Reeves and Bushong about the conversation.
"Chris said he was working on his budget before going on vacation and didn't really hear all that Dominick was saying," Scott says. "Lee said about the same thing, but about 10 minutes after that he told me if Kamp was sitting in that chair, he'd call him a liar to his face.
"If he didn't hear the whole conversation, how can he call Kamp a liar?"