08-18-2009, 11:28 AM
Sheriff Mike Scott said he would have “great concerns” for any Lee County Sheriff’s Office employee who associated regularly with felons.
Those were Scott’s words to Fox4 in one of multiple local television interviews on Sunday and Monday.
Phone records: List of phone calls between Lee County Sheriff's Office employees and Spence
And in an e-mail response to questions from The News-Press on Monday, Scott said he was unaware of any deputies violating the agency rule against association with felons.
Yet phone records show several deputies had multiple phone conversations with convicted money launderer and kidnapper **** Spence — even after his criminal past became known widely in the agency.
Lt. Shawn Ramsey, Sgt. Ryan Bell, Deputy Pat McDonald, Deputy Mark Itzko, Sgt. Joe Barley, Deputy Raymond VanHouten and retired Capt. Morgan Bowden have shared conversations with Spence on their agency-issued cell phones.
Documents: E-mails from the sheriff's office concerning public records requests
Not all are repeated or continuous contacts. But each, except Barley, had this communication after the sheriff said he learned of Spence’s past in August 2008, and after a notice was sent in November 2008 by a captain to those in the east Lee district regarding Spence’s past.
The calls were identified in a sampling pulled by The News-Press.
In addition, sheriff’s spokesman Sgt. Larry King has said video surveillance of the Alva Village Market — which Spence manages — obtained during an investigation targeting Spence earlier this year showed several deputies coming in and out of the store.
Scott, who himself logged 371 calls with Spence between October 2005 and August 2008, said he had no intentions of changing the policy. He wrote he would forward a copy of the policy to his staff, with an explanation of how his association with Spence was not a violation.
After declining repeated requests to speak to The News-Press on the matter during the course of three months, Scott underscored in televised interviews Sunday and Monday that he cut off contact with Spence after he learned Spence’s history.
However, in a July 13 e-mail to The News-Press, the sheriff said “still I maintain a friendship with **** Spence,” and Spence in June described their friendship as “better than ever.” Further, in an e-mail sent to his staff Sunday, the sheriff wrote, “A friendship is not turned off like a light switch.”
Scott later minimized these statements by writing in another e-mail Monday, “I ‘maintain friendship’ with classmates and others that I have not seen and barely spoken to in 30 years. ... Relationships change dramatically in practice, but do not somehow disappear into thin air or vanish from memory.”
Spence said Friday he continues friendships with several deputies, specifically Ramsey and Bowden.
Yet Scott wrote in an e-mail Monday, “I am unaware of any member of the LCSO that has maintained a relationship with Spence that is contrary to our policy; therefore, there is no one to hold accountable.”
Barley, the only deputy who agreed to talk about his contacts with Spence, said he lives in Alva and did frequent the store until he received the captain’s e-mail detailing Spence’s past. His records showed just two, 1-minute calls to Spence in June 2008.
“Our policy states we’re not supposed to socialize with felons, period,” Barley said. “So I stopped going there in uniform, we quit eating lunch there in marked cars. If there was question that it may bring something bad on the sheriff’s office, we stay away from that.”
Scott, in his e-mail, said, “(Spence) manages one of the only convenience stores in a busy but remote area of Lee County, and there is nothing prohibiting LCSO members from going to that store.”
Two News-Press staffers in June witnessed VanHouten and another deputy eating lunch in the store. Records show VanHouten logged 23 back-and-forth calls with Spence from Aug. 27, 2008, until June 1, 2009.
McDonald called Spence once in September 2008. Itzko called Spence once in November 2008. Ramsey’s records show Spence called him once in March, and Ramsey called Spence once in May, talking for 26 minutes. Bell called Spence seven times from Aug. 7, 2008, through April 30, 2009.
Bowden — who is retired but works on contract with the agency, is an auxiliary deputy and uses an agency-issued cell phone, weapon and vehicle — logged 26 calls with Spence, both incoming and outgoing, from November 2008 through June 2009.
When The News-Press requested to view phone records for all those working in the east Bravo District — about 100 members — the sheriff’s office cost estimate to obtain copies of those records was $1,365.
When The News-Press requested to view all phone records for those ranking sergeant or above — about 175 members — the sheriff’s office estimated it would take 249 hours and cost $5,425 to gather the information. The News-Press has yet to ask the department to proceed with fulfilling the request.
Gov. Charlie Crist, for whom Spence said he raised $500,000 during his last election, said Monday while in Fort Myers that he does not know Spence.
Crist, who praised Scott, said he was not aware of Scott’s relationship with Spence, but he would be “happy to look into it.”
Those were Scott’s words to Fox4 in one of multiple local television interviews on Sunday and Monday.
Phone records: List of phone calls between Lee County Sheriff's Office employees and Spence
And in an e-mail response to questions from The News-Press on Monday, Scott said he was unaware of any deputies violating the agency rule against association with felons.
Yet phone records show several deputies had multiple phone conversations with convicted money launderer and kidnapper **** Spence — even after his criminal past became known widely in the agency.
Lt. Shawn Ramsey, Sgt. Ryan Bell, Deputy Pat McDonald, Deputy Mark Itzko, Sgt. Joe Barley, Deputy Raymond VanHouten and retired Capt. Morgan Bowden have shared conversations with Spence on their agency-issued cell phones.
Documents: E-mails from the sheriff's office concerning public records requests
Not all are repeated or continuous contacts. But each, except Barley, had this communication after the sheriff said he learned of Spence’s past in August 2008, and after a notice was sent in November 2008 by a captain to those in the east Lee district regarding Spence’s past.
The calls were identified in a sampling pulled by The News-Press.
In addition, sheriff’s spokesman Sgt. Larry King has said video surveillance of the Alva Village Market — which Spence manages — obtained during an investigation targeting Spence earlier this year showed several deputies coming in and out of the store.
Scott, who himself logged 371 calls with Spence between October 2005 and August 2008, said he had no intentions of changing the policy. He wrote he would forward a copy of the policy to his staff, with an explanation of how his association with Spence was not a violation.
After declining repeated requests to speak to The News-Press on the matter during the course of three months, Scott underscored in televised interviews Sunday and Monday that he cut off contact with Spence after he learned Spence’s history.
However, in a July 13 e-mail to The News-Press, the sheriff said “still I maintain a friendship with **** Spence,” and Spence in June described their friendship as “better than ever.” Further, in an e-mail sent to his staff Sunday, the sheriff wrote, “A friendship is not turned off like a light switch.”
Scott later minimized these statements by writing in another e-mail Monday, “I ‘maintain friendship’ with classmates and others that I have not seen and barely spoken to in 30 years. ... Relationships change dramatically in practice, but do not somehow disappear into thin air or vanish from memory.”
Spence said Friday he continues friendships with several deputies, specifically Ramsey and Bowden.
Yet Scott wrote in an e-mail Monday, “I am unaware of any member of the LCSO that has maintained a relationship with Spence that is contrary to our policy; therefore, there is no one to hold accountable.”
Barley, the only deputy who agreed to talk about his contacts with Spence, said he lives in Alva and did frequent the store until he received the captain’s e-mail detailing Spence’s past. His records showed just two, 1-minute calls to Spence in June 2008.
“Our policy states we’re not supposed to socialize with felons, period,” Barley said. “So I stopped going there in uniform, we quit eating lunch there in marked cars. If there was question that it may bring something bad on the sheriff’s office, we stay away from that.”
Scott, in his e-mail, said, “(Spence) manages one of the only convenience stores in a busy but remote area of Lee County, and there is nothing prohibiting LCSO members from going to that store.”
Two News-Press staffers in June witnessed VanHouten and another deputy eating lunch in the store. Records show VanHouten logged 23 back-and-forth calls with Spence from Aug. 27, 2008, until June 1, 2009.
McDonald called Spence once in September 2008. Itzko called Spence once in November 2008. Ramsey’s records show Spence called him once in March, and Ramsey called Spence once in May, talking for 26 minutes. Bell called Spence seven times from Aug. 7, 2008, through April 30, 2009.
Bowden — who is retired but works on contract with the agency, is an auxiliary deputy and uses an agency-issued cell phone, weapon and vehicle — logged 26 calls with Spence, both incoming and outgoing, from November 2008 through June 2009.
When The News-Press requested to view phone records for all those working in the east Bravo District — about 100 members — the sheriff’s office cost estimate to obtain copies of those records was $1,365.
When The News-Press requested to view all phone records for those ranking sergeant or above — about 175 members — the sheriff’s office estimated it would take 249 hours and cost $5,425 to gather the information. The News-Press has yet to ask the department to proceed with fulfilling the request.
Gov. Charlie Crist, for whom Spence said he raised $500,000 during his last election, said Monday while in Fort Myers that he does not know Spence.
Crist, who praised Scott, said he was not aware of Scott’s relationship with Spence, but he would be “happy to look into it.”