WIFE FIRES GUN AT LAUDERDALE POLICE CHIEF
SHARE ON:
ROBERT BEATTY— JULY 10, 2008
eleanor-adderley_web.jpgPLANTATION — The wife of Fort Lauderdale Police Chief Frank Adderley has been arrested after police say she fired multiple gunshots during an argument with her husband at the couple’s Plantation home.

Eleanor Adderley, 45, is charged with two counts of domestic violence, one of which involves a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun she fired at her husband multiple times, according the police report.

“…The defendant confronted the victim [Frank Adderley] while he was lying on the bed in the master bedroom,’’ Plantation police officer Ron Camp wrote in the two-page report. “The defendant, without provocation, suddenly pointed and discharged a handgun impacting the bed inches from where the victim was lying. Victim then fled the bedroom, exiting the residence through the rear porch area, while the defendant discharged a second round. Victim continued to flee towards a neighbor’s residence, where the defendant discharged additional rounds.’’

Frank Adderley could not be reached for comment, but in a prepared statement released to the media, he said, “Despite this trying time, I support and stand by my wife. I love her very much and will do everything possible to get whatever assistance she needs during this difficult time.”

The arrest came after Frank Adderley called police to the couple’s Plantation home some time Tuesday evening while the incident was unfolding. When police arrived, another family member, whom police did not identify, was also in the home. No one was injured in the melee, but by 2 a.m. Wednesday morning, Eleanor Adderley had been taken into custody and booked into the county jail.

“They had an argument, and I don’t know what the argument was about,” Plantation police spokesman Det.
Phil Toman said. “He [Frank] was lying on the bed and she shot into the mattress where he was laying. He then got up and ran, and as he was running, she then discharged the weapon several more times.”

It is unclear whether Eleanor Adderley fired the subsequent shots at Frank Adderley, or if they were purposely discharged elsewhere.

But according to the report, she told police on the scene that she was “only trying to scare him by shooting the bed and down at the ground, and did not intend to cause any injury.”

Eleanor Adderley was behind bars in the Broward Sheriff’s Office’s North Jail in Pompano Beach on one count of shooting into a dwelling, a second-degree felony; and one count of aggravated assault without intent to kill, a third-degree felony, according to police.

Initially denied bail, Eleanor Adderley spent nearly 20 hours behind bars before Broward Circuit Court Judge Geoffrey Cohen granted her release on $25,000 bail, under special conditions.

She must wear an electronic monitoring ankle bracelet, get psychiatric care, surrender any weapons she owns to local authorities, and must not have any contact with her husband while maintaining a one-mile distance from him. Frank Adderley did not attend the bond hearing. But through his attorney, he agreed to post his wife’s bail and move out of the family’s home so she could remain there until matters are resolved.

“Chief Adderley contacted the Plantation Police Department at approximately 9 p.m. regarding a domestic matter at his residence,’’ Fort Lauderdale Police spokeswoman Det. Katherine Collins said in a prepared statement. “ Chief Adderley is cooperating fully with the investigation, which is being handled by the
Plantation Police Department. The members of the Fort Lauderdale Police Department support Chief Adderley and his family during this trying time.’’

Frank Adderley became the city of Fort Lauderdale’s first black chief of police in May.

City Manager George Gretsas appointed Adderley to the position after former Police Chief Bruce G. Roberts abruptly resigned.

The Adderley shooting incident has rattled a department that has had its share of controversies in recent months. Nevertheless, officials say, they have no intention of altering their schedules, or their normal course of work because of the latest incident.

“I imagine he is going to take a couple of days off to work through this,” said Sgt. Frank Sousa, a spokesman for the Fort Lauderdale Police Department. “It’s business as usual, and we are going to continue operating as we do here, and obviously Chief Adderley has our wholehearted support.”

EJones@SFLTimes.com