GUESS EMPLOYEE DRUG TESTING MISSED THIS ONE

Probation officer arrested


The Tampa Tribune

Published: April 15, 2010

Florida Department of Corrections employee Kizzy Dawson briefly got a taste of what life is like on the other side of the bars.

Polk County sheriff's deputies arrested Dawson, 33, and her roommate, Cheryl Hunt, 39, on marijuana possession charges Tuesday night. According to deputies, they were smoking pot in an Isuzu Rodeo parked in a part of Lakeland that has seen numerous complaints of drug use.
Narcotics investigators noticed the sport utility vehicle parked behind the Warehouse Bar and Grill, 3070 New Tampa Highway, about 7:40 p.m., according to an affidavit.

The detectives approached the SUV to speak to the occupants and immediately smelled marijuana from inside the Rodeo, authorities said in an affidavit. When the driver of the SUV stepped out, a bag of marijuana fell out of her lap and onto the ground. The driver identified herself as Dawson, who lives in Lakeland. Dawson told deputies she and Hunt were experimenting with marijuana and knew that it was wrong, authorities said.

Dawson and Hunt were arrested and charged with one count of possession of cannabis (less than 20 grams) and one count of possession of paraphernalia. Dawson also was charged with one count of maintaining a vehicle for drug use.

The women were booked into the Polk County Jail on Tuesday; both were released on bail early Wednesday.

Dawson is a probation officer for the Florida Department of Corrections' Tampa division. She was hired in June 2007, according to department spokeswoman Gretl Plessinger. Her salary is $33,000 a year.

A bag of dope fell off her lap? Why was she smoking the hippy lettuce in a car? A real bright bulb!

We have to claim her as one of our own. Maybe she just needs some understanding. She is not as fortunate as others. Maybe a job fair will help her.

I heard she had glaucoma! :lol:

That "Officer" needs to be terminated immediately. She knew upfront the department's drug policy. She taints the image of all of us, both active and retired.

Not only has she engaged in a criminal act, she must be incredibly stupid. First off, doing this job, why would anyone be so hypocritical as to engage in criminal behavior? Secondly, how could anyone be so stupid as to use illegal drugs when they know that they are subject to drug testing? In my view, she is a candidate to be fired based on stupidity alone!

I know that people who live in glass houses shouldn't cast stones, but I sure don't live in one and this isn't throwing stones. It is just one person's recognition of a criminal and very stupid act.

Signed -

Disgusted Retiree

No problem. She has paid into PBA for (3) years. They will save her job! Or has she wasted all that money on dues and dope??

A new ISP goal on her OT77 screen would maybe have saved her...

Most likely they drug tested her after her arrest and FDLE will decertify you for a hot drug test but that process can usually be dalayed to take up to 10 months or so with delay tactics as the department's policy is to refer you for counseling and give you a write up. So if she has only MM charges she will probably be around for a while but if she went and cleaned her system out prior to being tested she may stay employed because the department cant use a diluted sample given at the lab as a positive result. I guess we will see how street smart she was whether she got her sample diluted enough to be negative.

Kinda funny. We do re-entry for all of the rape/drug dealers. When it comes time for one of our own to be helped, they are tossed aside! Money for offenders to be helped and nothing for fellow officers!

Most likely they drug tested her after her arrest and FDLE will decertify you for a hot drug test but that process can usually be dalayed to take up to 10 months or so with delay tactics as the department's policy is to refer you for counseling and give you a write up. So if she has only MM charges she will probably be around for a while but if she went and cleaned her system out prior to being tested she may stay employed because the department cant use a diluted sample given at the lab as a positive result. I guess we will see how street smart she was whether she got her sample diluted enough to be negative.

I AM CONFUSED ABOUT THE "DILUTED SAMPLE". CERTAINLY IN 25 YRS IF HAVE DONE 100S OF VOP AND FOUND GUILTY AND RESTORED/REVOKED/JAIL/FSP/NOTHING. IS THERE LEGAL EVIDENCE THAT A "DILUTED SAMPLE" IS VOPed DIFFERENTLY?

Most likely they drug tested her after her arrest and FDLE will decertify you for a hot drug test but that process can usually be dalayed to take up to 10 months or so with delay tactics as the department's policy is to refer you for counseling and give you a write up. So if she has only MM charges she will probably be around for a while but if she went and cleaned her system out prior to being tested she may stay employed because the department cant use a diluted sample given at the lab as a positive result. I guess we will see how street smart she was whether she got her sample diluted enough to be negative.

I AM CONFUSED ABOUT THE "DILUTED SAMPLE". CERTAINLY IN 25 YRS IF HAVE DONE 100S OF VOP AND FOUND GUILTY AND RESTORED/REVOKED/JAIL/FSP/NOTHING. IS THERE LEGAL EVIDENCE THAT A "DILUTED SAMPLE" IS VOPed DIFFERENTLY?

I am talking about officers = when they refer you to the lab or prison medical if youare positive on the saliva test and you give a diluted sample so it registers and the cutoff is not met it is treated as 100% negative with no other action taken.

What she should have done instead of telling the cops she was experimenting was ask for a lawyer and say nothing. THEN she should have called HR or her sup (not sure of the proper order) and told them that she has a substance abuse problem because of all the stress at work and ask for a EAP referral. They would have put her in treatment and she'd still be employed instead of being unemployed. now no job andno money for dope.

What she should have done instead of telling the cops she was experimenting was ask for a lawyer and say nothing. THEN she should have called HR or her sup (not sure of the proper order) and told them that she has a substance abuse problem because of all the stress at work and ask for a EAP referral. They would have put her in treatment and she'd still be employed instead of being unemployed. now no job andno money for dope.

I was thinking that also FDLE may be able to use that possibly to make a decertification stick even if she tests negative but I am not sure on that.

Kinda funny. We do re-entry for all of the rape/drug dealers. When it comes time for one of our own to be helped, they are tossed aside! Money for offenders to be helped and nothing for fellow officers!

Well if you went to college and studied substance abuse in any class, THC is not physically addictive like Crack, heroin, etc. She made a choice and needs to be let go. As an officer who knows the law and then decides to experiment, they know the consequences when they get caught. If she had half a brain and wanted to experiment, do it at home and not at a known area where drug use is occurring.

So I doubt this was her first time smoking dope! It is said that smoking DOPE makes you stupid, she should be DOC's poster child for stupid people! She should be terminated from DOC because she degrades the integrity of all probation officers. Also her roommate that was arrested with her use to be on felony probation. The department should probably also scrutinize their relationship when she was an officer and she was on probation.

Don't let the screen door hit you on your ass on the way out!

Signed, Take out the trash!

hypothetically speaking, if a d o c employee gets arrested for possession of marijuana, the employee should be fired.
but also hypothetically speaking, if d o c a employee gets arrested for battery on a parking valet or obstruction, those employees should be fired also, hypothetically speaking...

Commenting on this probation officer, everyone is innocent until proven guilty. I'm pretty sure kizzy dawson will post the outcome in an article and on web for all to see. And the person who commented on glass house ur right about it. So keep ya mouth closed until further notice. Maybe that's why u are retired. I'm also retired and the law is innocense until proven guilty. Unfortunately u wernt there to know factual details. Have a great retired, tired day!

Commenting on this probation officer, everyone is innocent until proven guilty. I'm pretty sure kizzy dawson will post the outcome in an article and on web for all to see. And the person who commented on glass house ur right about it. So keep ya mouth closed until further notice. Maybe that's why u are retired. I'm also retired and the law is innocense until proven guilty. Unfortunately u wernt there to know factual details. Have a great retired, tired day!


Retired Hooka? Use some normal grammar and spelling, your post sucks!

First off she should be fired for being such a dim-wit. If she was smoking weed with her roomate, why the hell wouldn't you smoke it in your apt or house.....Of all places in a car outside a resturant.I never knew of such a job that puts people who can't control there own lives in charge of others. And people wonder why P/P is the laughing stock of law enforcement.....Good job Dizzy or whatever your name is :idea:

Wow. Hooka? Normal grammar? Well, how can a dummy determine what is proper grammar? U are ridiculous. Is this all u have to be retired? U idiot! U rather bad mouth an individual u know nothing of because u were once an officer? Well be more factual before u speak, dumb, retired officer. The last I heard charges are still pending...dummy! My post is neutral, as you should be. There's a court of law in which u never reached to call order! Suck that!

I heard another probation officer in that same circuit was arrested and charged with DUI. That officer was not fired, and is still on the job. Why was the dope smoking officer fired, but the booze drinking officer spared? They were both arrested and charged with offenses unbecoming of law enforcement officers. Just a thought/question... :cop:

I heard another probation officer in that same circuit was arrested and charged with DUI. That officer was not fired, and is still on the job. Why was the dope smoking officer fired, but the booze drinking officer spared? They were both arrested and charged with offenses unbecoming of law enforcement officers. Just a thought/question... :cop:

Illegal drug use as an officer is considered a 100% no no by FDLE while you can survive a single DUI if your agency doesn't fire you.

Kinda funny. We do re-entry for all of the rape/drug dealers. When it comes time for one of our own to be helped, they are tossed aside! Money for offenders to be helped and nothing for fellow officers!

Well if you went to college and studied substance abuse in any class, THC is not physically addictive like Crack, heroin, etc. She made a choice and needs to be let go. As an officer who knows the law and then decides to experiment, they know the consequences when they get caught. If she had half a brain and wanted to experiment, do it at home and not at a known area where drug use is occurring.

So I doubt this was her first time smoking dope! It is said that smoking DOPE makes you stupid, she should be DOC's poster child for stupid people! She should be terminated from DOC because she degrades the integrity of all probation officers. Also her roommate that was arrested with her use to be on felony probation. The department should probably also scrutinize their relationship when she was an officer and she was on probation.

Don't let the screen door hit you on your ass on the way out!

Signed, Take out the trash!


Wow...are you suggesting that she used to be her roommate's CO?