Gun is third smuggled into county lockup in five years

Firearm in Sarasota jail prompts review
Gun is third smuggled into county lockup in five years
By Anthony Cormier


Published: Sunday, January 9, 2011 at 1:00 a.m.
Last Modified: Saturday, January 8, 2011 at 10:38 p.m.
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SARASOTA COUNTY - A sheriff's deputy has been suspended after a prisoner brought a loaded revolver into the county jail, the third time a gun has been smuggled into the downtown facility in five years.


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Gregory Pedigo reportedly stashed a gun in a bathroom garbage can at the Sarasota County jail after his arrest. Officials are reviewing how an arrested person once again managed to sneak a gun -- this time a loaded .32-caliber revolver -- past the arresting deputy :shock: and jail guards despite an upgraded system designed to strengthen searches of incoming inmates.

According to an internal affairs report, patrolman Adam Shaw missed :shock: the gun when he arrested and patted down a burglary suspect in early December.

Shaw told internal affairs investigators that he did two separate pat-downs of the suspect, Gregory Pedigo, before driving to the jail.

Somehow, though, Pedigo reportedly stashed the gun in a bathroom garbage can, where a trustee found it on Dec. 10, authorities said.

Shaw was suspended eight hours, or about $150 in pay.

Meanwhile, a jail guard is under internal investigation for failing to discover the weapon during the intake process when a prisoner first comes into the jail.

It is unclear how Pedigo snuck the weapon past the booking area and into a bathroom, or if jail guards used a required metal-detecting wand to search him once inside the facility.

During intake, commonly known as "booking," prisoners remove their belt, shoes and other belongings, such as a watch or jewelry. They are then searched by hand and with the metal detector before guards assign them to a cell.

Guards were required to use the wand to look for contraband starting in 2006 after two other guns were smuggled inside the jail in late 2005 and early 2006.

Sheriff's officials would not comment on the current inquiry or whether they intend to institute new policies to prevent similar security breaches. None of the guns was ever fired and no one was injured as a result of the failed security checks.

In September 2005, an inmate sneaked in a loaded .32-caliber pistol and had it for three weeks in his cell -- even bringing it with him when he was transported to a court hearing.

The man, George Dupree, said he hid the weapon near his groin because he felt that "male deputies tend to shy away from the area when performing their pat down searches," he told an investigator.

He held onto the gun, telling investigators that it was an "albatross" that he badly wanted to get rid of, before deputies found it while he was being taken into court.

A sergeant and a guard were both suspended for failing to find the gun during the arrest and intake.

A few months later, another weapon turned up in a jail trash can. That time, an arrestee was brought to the jail with a pistol hidden in his waistband.

When a guard turned his head, the man pulled the gun out of his pants and tossed it in a trash can.

The guard took "full responsibility" and was suspended for 12 hours, according to sheriff's office records.

The incident led administrators to retrain guards and require that they use a wand to search for metal objects during booking.

I know the patrol guy got his discipline but what about the corrections guy?