11-18-2006, 10:07 PM
Ex-official files whistle-blower complaint in boot camp death
BY MARC CAPUTO
mcaputo@MiamiHerald.com
A former inspector general has filed a whistle-blower complaint against Florida's juvenile-justice agency that alleges he was fired because he ''wouldn't go along with misrepresentations'' related to the death of a 14-year-old ward of a Panama City boot camp.
Steve Meredith said Friday that, despite a clean work record for a decade, he was fired Aug. 4 without explanation from the Department of Juvenile Justice. He said he initially believed race played a factor in his termination, but said that current DJJ employees he wouldn't name have told him his outspoken views on Martin Lee Anderson's death played a role.
DJJ spokeswoman Cynthia Lorenzo said the agency ''emphatically denies'' Meredith's claims.
''His termination was entirely unrelated to Martin Lee Anderson,'' she said, refusing to list the cause of his firing ''out of respect and courtesy'' for Meredith, who served at the will of the administration.
Martin's parents are suing DJJ, the boot camp and its guards in federal court. His Jan. 6 death is under investigation still and no charges have been brought. The guards and a nurse at the boot camp say they were all following procedure.
Meredith said they clearly weren't.
On the day of Martin's death, Meredith said he and two other DJJ employees viewed the videotape of guards beating, body-slamming, wristlocking and pressure-pointing Martin as they shoved ammonia capsules in his face in an apparent effort to either revive the lifeless-looking boy or punish him.
Meredith, the agency's acting inspector general, then joined a conference call with DJJ Secretary Anthony Schembri and other senior level staff in which, he said, he noted the violations of DJJ policy by guards of the Bay County Sheriff's Office, which ran the camp.
''The secretary had asked a question about how bad this is ... either I made the statement or he asked: `Was this as bad as Rodney King?''' Meredith recalled.
''Absolutely,'' he said he responded. ``Yes it was.''
He said the second DJJ employee agreed with him, but a third witness to the tape did not. That employee is still working for the agency, Meredith said, but he and the employee who agreed with him were subsequently fired.
More than a month after the conference call, one of the participants, DJJ staff chief Chris Caballero, appeared before a DJJ legislative oversight committee Feb. 23 and refused to say whether boot-camp guards were legally allowed to inflict pain on nonthreatening children who weren't complying with simple commands, such as running laps.
Also, Caballero said he wasn't sure what use-of-force policies applied to which boot camps and when. Lawmakers grew increasingly testy with Caballero and, especially Schembri because he repeatedly ''lied'' to them, they said.
At another committee meeting, a report by Meredith was released to the committee showing that the guards misused the ammonia capsules. An autopsy of Martin said the ammonia capsules helped killed him. An initial autopsy, though, said he died of natural complications from sickle-cell trait.
Meredith said the tape of the beating was ''shocking,'' as are the comments by those who didn't think it was that bad.
''I've never seen anything like this,'' Meredith said. ``This is the type of thing that if a parent had done to their child, they would be up on child abuse charges without any question. The fact that someone could do this to someone else's child is inexcusable.''
BY MARC CAPUTO
mcaputo@MiamiHerald.com
A former inspector general has filed a whistle-blower complaint against Florida's juvenile-justice agency that alleges he was fired because he ''wouldn't go along with misrepresentations'' related to the death of a 14-year-old ward of a Panama City boot camp.
Steve Meredith said Friday that, despite a clean work record for a decade, he was fired Aug. 4 without explanation from the Department of Juvenile Justice. He said he initially believed race played a factor in his termination, but said that current DJJ employees he wouldn't name have told him his outspoken views on Martin Lee Anderson's death played a role.
DJJ spokeswoman Cynthia Lorenzo said the agency ''emphatically denies'' Meredith's claims.
''His termination was entirely unrelated to Martin Lee Anderson,'' she said, refusing to list the cause of his firing ''out of respect and courtesy'' for Meredith, who served at the will of the administration.
Martin's parents are suing DJJ, the boot camp and its guards in federal court. His Jan. 6 death is under investigation still and no charges have been brought. The guards and a nurse at the boot camp say they were all following procedure.
Meredith said they clearly weren't.
On the day of Martin's death, Meredith said he and two other DJJ employees viewed the videotape of guards beating, body-slamming, wristlocking and pressure-pointing Martin as they shoved ammonia capsules in his face in an apparent effort to either revive the lifeless-looking boy or punish him.
Meredith, the agency's acting inspector general, then joined a conference call with DJJ Secretary Anthony Schembri and other senior level staff in which, he said, he noted the violations of DJJ policy by guards of the Bay County Sheriff's Office, which ran the camp.
''The secretary had asked a question about how bad this is ... either I made the statement or he asked: `Was this as bad as Rodney King?''' Meredith recalled.
''Absolutely,'' he said he responded. ``Yes it was.''
He said the second DJJ employee agreed with him, but a third witness to the tape did not. That employee is still working for the agency, Meredith said, but he and the employee who agreed with him were subsequently fired.
More than a month after the conference call, one of the participants, DJJ staff chief Chris Caballero, appeared before a DJJ legislative oversight committee Feb. 23 and refused to say whether boot-camp guards were legally allowed to inflict pain on nonthreatening children who weren't complying with simple commands, such as running laps.
Also, Caballero said he wasn't sure what use-of-force policies applied to which boot camps and when. Lawmakers grew increasingly testy with Caballero and, especially Schembri because he repeatedly ''lied'' to them, they said.
At another committee meeting, a report by Meredith was released to the committee showing that the guards misused the ammonia capsules. An autopsy of Martin said the ammonia capsules helped killed him. An initial autopsy, though, said he died of natural complications from sickle-cell trait.
Meredith said the tape of the beating was ''shocking,'' as are the comments by those who didn't think it was that bad.
''I've never seen anything like this,'' Meredith said. ``This is the type of thing that if a parent had done to their child, they would be up on child abuse charges without any question. The fact that someone could do this to someone else's child is inexcusable.''