Quote:
MANATEE COUNTY - State Rep. Greg Steube called the office of his father, Manatee County Sheriff Brad Steube, the morning of May 20 to report that armed intruders had broken into his Parrish home and raped the mother of his child.
The woman, Sarah Balcueva, was found by Representative Steube on a bed with her hands and ankles zip-tied and chained to the bed posts, and their infant son was alone on the floor.
She told the lawmaker a horrific story: that three intruders who harbored a vendetta against Representative Steube attacked and raped her, ransacked their home, stole computers and were now on the loose in Manatee.
The claims triggered a law enforcement response that included two dozen deputies, crime scene technicians, paramedics and a rape examination of Balcueva. Records show Sheriff Steube and the top two commanders of his force were among the officers who worked the case.
The investigation lasted three days and cost the department at least $4,000 before Balcueva admitted she had falsified the story.
But the Republican representative's former girlfriend was not arrested or charged with filing a false police report, a misdemeanor that carries up to one year in jail and a $1,000 fine.
The Manatee Sheriff's Office arrested 10 other people for making false police reports in far less elaborate ruses during the year leading up to the May incident.
The sheriff and his son say they were not involved in the decision not to arrest Balcueva and did not exert any influence on prosecutors, who made the call not to file charges against her.
MANATEE COUNTY - State Rep. Greg Steube called the office of his father, Manatee County Sheriff Brad Steube, the morning of May 20 to report that armed intruders had broken into his Parrish home and raped the mother of his child.
The woman, Sarah Balcueva, was found by Representative Steube on a bed with her hands and ankles zip-tied and chained to the bed posts, and their infant son was alone on the floor.
She told the lawmaker a horrific story: that three intruders who harbored a vendetta against Representative Steube attacked and raped her, ransacked their home, stole computers and were now on the loose in Manatee.
The claims triggered a law enforcement response that included two dozen deputies, crime scene technicians, paramedics and a rape examination of Balcueva. Records show Sheriff Steube and the top two commanders of his force were among the officers who worked the case.
The investigation lasted three days and cost the department at least $4,000 before Balcueva admitted she had falsified the story.
But the Republican representative's former girlfriend was not arrested or charged with filing a false police report, a misdemeanor that carries up to one year in jail and a $1,000 fine.
The Manatee Sheriff's Office arrested 10 other people for making false police reports in far less elaborate ruses during the year leading up to the May incident.
The sheriff and his son say they were not involved in the decision not to arrest Balcueva and did not exert any influence on prosecutors, who made the call not to file charges against her.
Those investigations each took about four hours.
The cases were prosecuted by Arend's office. He said the mitigating circumstances in Balcueva's case were not present in the other cases.
Attorney Charles Britt, a former sheriff's detective and agent at FDLE, said there is a "high degree of discretion" on whether to pursue a false report charge.
"People lie to the police every day: witnesses, defendants and victims alike," he said. "If the police arrested them for it, the jail would be twice as full as it is now. The reality is this kind of thing happens more often than you would think and sometimes it can be more cost effective to cut your losses and move on."
Britt said he thinks the law enforcement response was more than the average citizen would have received, but it is understandable because it involved the sheriff's son and grandson.
Sheriff Steube said the response was typical for any serious violent crime.
"The resources used during the investigation are no different than what we use every day based on the circumstances," he wrote. "Although many may not agree with the expenditures of manpower and money during these cases, this is our job and we try to do it well."
Balcueva's tale
The incident in May was precipitated by a relationship on the rocks.
Balcueva had moved into Representative Steube's home in November 2010 to care for their infant son, but the relationship wavered and the couple were separated by May, according to court records.
The night before the May 20 report, Balcueva told detectives she and Steube argued and he left to stay with his parents.
The next morning Steube got a text message from Balcueva's cellphone: "If you want to see your son and girlfriend alive, you should come home now," it read.
Balcueva called him a half-hour later from the home phone to tell him her story of what had happened.
She said two men and a woman broke into the home about 9 a.m. and forced her to hand over her 8-month-old son.
While the woman took the baby into another room, the men stripped Balcueva and used chains from the garage and zip ties to shackle her to the bed. She said they took turns assaulting her and struck her in the head with a broom when she fought back.
Balcueva said her attackers insisted Representative Steube was a bad person and they intended to ruin his political career and personal life.
An ominous note pierced by a pocket knife was also found in the home office, the sheriff's report said.
A call to the home phone stopped the rape, she told detectives, and the female intruder put the boy on the bedroom floor before they fled with Balcueva's phone and other electronics.
Representative Steube's computer, iPad and other items were found later that afternoon at the Lena Road landfill.
Suspicions about the story began to emerge when a rape exam on Balcueva showed no trauma and she refused further analysis.
When investigators wanted to search Balcueva's car, she stalled and tried to hide a bag of threatening letters and electronics she had claimed were stolen.
At least 22 deputies and crime scene technicians plus a handful of the Manatee Sheriff's Office top administration responded to the crime scene. The K-9 unit was used and detectives spent hours at the landfill looking for clues. Paramedics were also dispatched.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement took over the case the next day.
A sheriff's detective worked with a FDLE agent on the final interview with Balcueva on May 22. He told her he did not believe the crime happened and promised not to charge her with making a false report if she told the truth.
"Fine, it didn't happen," Balcueva said, according to sheriff's reports.
She also turned over the cellphone she used to send threatening text messages to Representative Steube. She sent one of the threats while staying at Sheriff Steube's home, according to reports.
Previous incident
The May event was not Balcueva's first report to law enforcement.
Balcueva reported that on Dec. 2, 2010, she returned home around 9 p.m. and when she heard someone inside, she grabbed a handgun Representative Steube kept in the bedroom, according to a sheriff's report.
Balcueva told investigators she fired at the ceiling five or six times when she saw a person dressed in all black clothing.
No suspect was found. Sheriff Steube said the FDLE was notified.
Balcueva, the former marketing director at the Polo Grill & Bar and a board member of the Leadership Manatee Alumni Association, has moved to Michigan with her son to live with her parents, according to court records.
Balcueva, who was 28 at the time of the May incident, did not return a telephone call or messages sent via Facebook.
Representative Steube, who is an attorney at Becker and Poliakoff handling business and family law, wrote in a civil case petition to create a permanent parenting plan with Balcueva that he has "grave concerns" about her mental health.
He requested to withdraw the civil case and seal the records on Sept. 28.
"My concern is about the well-being of my 13-month-old son and I have done everything to be the best father to him as I can be given all of the situations that have occurred," he wrote in an email.
He was first elected as the District 67 representative in November 2010 and has indicated he intends to run for re-election. He represents a large part of Manatee and portions of Sarasota and Hillsborough.
