Judge ******** a thief

[LEO TRIBUNE DUDE]

Circuit judge briefly investigated after store incident



By Lee Williams





SIESTA KEY - Circuit Court Judge Frederick P. ******** was investigated Wednesday, albeit briefly, for allegedly shoplifting a snack from the Circle-K on Siesta Key.



According to a Sheriff's Office report, at 8:16 a.m., convenience store manager Phyllis Smith called to “report an incident regarding someone who had taken something from the store.”

Deputy Richard M. Johnson was sent to investigate.

Smith told the deputy that she had seen a man, later identified as Judge ********, “possibly take an item from the shelf and place it in his pocket.”

“No positive identification could be made as to what the item was, but the complainant assumed it was a small candy bar or pack of crackers,” Johnson wrote in his report. “The subject went through the store and brought several other items to the register and paid for the items, then leaving the store.”

******** strongly denied any wrongdoing.

“I went into the store to buy lottery tickets and sunflower seeds. I didn't do anything wrong,” ******** told the Herald-Tribune Thursday morning. “I didn't put anything into my pocket other than my keys and phone. I never picked up a candy bar or cookies. I know I went down the candy aisle, but I don't think I picked up anything. ”

The judge said the store manager should have stopped him if she suspected him of shoplifting.

“I don't understand why they wouldn't have said something at the counter,” ******** said. “I've never been in trouble before. This is absurd.”

Citing corporate policy, Smith, the store manager, declined to comment Thursday morning. She did, however, indicate that no one ever told her the suspect was a circuit judge.

In his report, Johnson wrote that unless Smith was able to determine exactly what was taken, and its value, he could not proceed with the case.

“No elements of a crime were established due to the poor quality and angle of the video,” Johnson's report states. “The complainant did point out that it appears an unknown object can be seen being picked up, and then disappearing when the subject's hand moves by his pocket. Based on the information available, there was not sufficient evident to proceed any further.”

The video is far from conclusive. It shows something in the judge's left hand, which disappears from view as his hand moves into his left pocket.

Deputy Johnson's report states that the store manager acknowledged that the video did not show “whether or not the item was possibly removed from the subject's pocket as he went through the rest of the store.”

The incident was “administratively cleared,” and classified as inactive. It was not forwarded to the Investigations Bureau or the State Attorney's Office.

Sources told the Herald-Tribune that once it was learned that ******** was the subject of the investigation, what had been a “theft” report was downgraded to “suspicious incident.”

Sheriff's Capt. John Walsh took over Deputy Johnson's investigation, the sources said, and was involved in the report writing.

The Sheriff's Office did not obtain the surveillance video from the convenience store until Wednesday afternoon — after the Herald-Tribune made a public records request for documents, reports and copies of the recording.

Sheriff's spokeswoman Wendy Rose declined to comment on the case or to provide an interview with anyone involved in investigating the incident.

“It was a routine investigation that was handled appropriately,” Rose said. “There's no need to answer questions.”

Rose said that Deputy Johnson recognized ******** in the surveillance video from being in his courtroom.

******** comes from a law enforcement family. His father is a retired police detective from New York. One of his brother's is a lieutenant in charge of the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office's internal affairs unit. Another is an FBI agent.

The judge was elected to the circuit court in 2012, after running unopposed. He was admitted to the Florida Bar in 1984, and was one of the region's most prominent defense attorneys before he became a judge. He is a graduate of the Stetson University College of Law. According to the Florida Bar, he has no discipline on file.

******** said he's been singled out because of his profession: “You wouldn't write a story if any Tom, **** or Harry was accused of this,” he said Thursday morning.

“When there's no evidence of anything, I think there's a problem. Basically, they're accusing me of a crime. I understand I'm a judge, but there's no evidence of any crime.”

[Mod 12]

Do you have the link for this story?

[Unregistered]

Do you have the link for this story?

That stuff that was posted (above) obviously comes from internal documents on the 2nd floor that were never released to reporters. Whenever we have an investigation of this kind, internal memos (or notes) are written that are kept away from pubic view e.g. they are never released to the media or the public for full disclosure. It’s an internal way of documenting in-house information for staff members, who will read it the next day – BUT reporters (and the public) don’t know the existence of those internal documents, so reporters don’t ask for copies. And if a reporter puts in a records request for those documents, they will never be turned over. And nobody can prove otherwise – unless a 2nd floor insider (or a traitor to the current elected sheriff) decides to make copies of them - and then provide them for public disclosure.

It’s amazing that bits and pieces of those internal documents made it to leoaffairs. The next step is for the 2nd floor to begin a witch hunt to determine:
1. Who has access
2. Who is releasing the information

Releasing the information is legal (of course) because the investigation is allegedly completed, but it is nonetheless a fireable offense – if the employee is identified. Lay low my friend.

[Unregistered]

Circuit judge briefly investigated after store incident



By Lee Williams





SIESTA KEY - Circuit Court Judge Frederick P. ******** was investigated Wednesday, albeit briefly, for allegedly shoplifting a snack from the Circle-K on Siesta Key.



According to a Sheriff's Office report, at 8:16 a.m., convenience store manager Phyllis Smith called to “report an incident regarding someone who had taken something from the store.”

Deputy Richard M. Johnson was sent to investigate.

Smith told the deputy that she had seen a man, later identified as Judge ********, “possibly take an item from the shelf and place it in his pocket.”

“No positive identification could be made as to what the item was, but the complainant assumed it was a small candy bar or pack of crackers,” Johnson wrote in his report. “The subject went through the store and brought several other items to the register and paid for the items, then leaving the store.”

******** strongly denied any wrongdoing.

“I went into the store to buy lottery tickets and sunflower seeds. I didn't do anything wrong,” ******** told the Herald-Tribune Thursday morning. “I didn't put anything into my pocket other than my keys and phone. I never picked up a candy bar or cookies. I know I went down the candy aisle, but I don't think I picked up anything. ”

The judge said the store manager should have stopped him if she suspected him of shoplifting.

“I don't understand why they wouldn't have said something at the counter,” ******** said. “I've never been in trouble before. This is absurd.”

Citing corporate policy, Smith, the store manager, declined to comment Thursday morning. She did, however, indicate that no one ever told her the suspect was a circuit judge.

In his report, Johnson wrote that unless Smith was able to determine exactly what was taken, and its value, he could not proceed with the case.

“No elements of a crime were established due to the poor quality and angle of the video,” Johnson's report states. “The complainant did point out that it appears an unknown object can be seen being picked up, and then disappearing when the subject's hand moves by his pocket. Based on the information available, there was not sufficient evident to proceed any further.”

The video is far from conclusive. It shows something in the judge's left hand, which disappears from view as his hand moves into his left pocket.

Deputy Johnson's report states that the store manager acknowledged that the video did not show “whether or not the item was possibly removed from the subject's pocket as he went through the rest of the store.”

The incident was “administratively cleared,” and classified as inactive. It was not forwarded to the Investigations Bureau or the State Attorney's Office.

Sources told the Herald-Tribune that once it was learned that ******** was the subject of the investigation, what had been a “theft” report was downgraded to “suspicious incident.”

Sheriff's Capt. John Walsh took over Deputy Johnson's investigation, the sources said, and was involved in the report writing.

The Sheriff's Office did not obtain the surveillance video from the convenience store until Wednesday afternoon — after the Herald-Tribune made a public records request for documents, reports and copies of the recording.

Sheriff's spokeswoman Wendy Rose declined to comment on the case or to provide an interview with anyone involved in investigating the incident.

“It was a routine investigation that was handled appropriately,” Rose said. “There's no need to answer questions.”

Rose said that Deputy Johnson recognized ******** in the surveillance video from being in his courtroom.

******** comes from a law enforcement family. His father is a retired police detective from New York. One of his brother's is a lieutenant in charge of the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office's internal affairs unit. Another is an FBI agent.

The judge was elected to the circuit court in 2012, after running unopposed. He was admitted to the Florida Bar in 1984, and was one of the region's most prominent defense attorneys before he became a judge. He is a graduate of the Stetson University College of Law. According to the Florida Bar, he has no discipline on file.

******** said he's been singled out because of his profession: “You wouldn't write a story if any Tom, **** or Harry was accused of this,” he said Thursday morning.

“When there's no evidence of anything, I think there's a problem. Basically, they're accusing me of a crime. I understand I'm a judge, but there's no evidence of any crime.”

"but I don't think I picked up anything. ” Sounds a little suspect to me. You either know you picked up something or you don't. You don't say I don't think...GUILTY!

[Unregistered]

That stuff that was posted (above) obviously comes from internal documents on the 2nd floor that were never released to reporters. Whenever we have an investigation of this kind, internal memos (or notes) are written that are kept away from pubic view e.g. they are never released to the media or the public for full disclosure. It’s an internal way of documenting in-house information for staff members, who will read it the next day – BUT reporters (and the public) don’t know the existence of those internal documents, so reporters don’t ask for copies. And if a reporter puts in a records request for those documents, they will never be turned over. And nobody can prove otherwise – unless a 2nd floor insider (or a traitor to the current elected sheriff) decides to make copies of them - and then provide them for public disclosure.

It’s amazing that bits and pieces of those internal documents made it to leoaffairs. The next step is for the 2nd floor to begin a witch hunt to determine:
1. Who has access
2. Who is releasing the information

Releasing the information is legal (of course) because the investigation is allegedly completed, but it is nonetheless a fireable offense – if the employee is identified. Lay low my friend.

There was a time when people may have been inclined to "cover" for the current administration, but those days expired long ago. It is what it is.

[Unregistered]

That stuff that was posted (above) obviously comes from internal documents on the 2nd floor that were never released to reporters. Whenever we have an investigation of this kind, internal memos (or notes) are written that are kept away from pubic view e.g. they are never released to the media or the public for full disclosure. It’s an internal way of documenting in-house information for staff members, who will read it the next day – BUT reporters (and the public) don’t know the existence of those internal documents, so reporters don’t ask for copies. And if a reporter puts in a records request for those documents, they will never be turned over. And nobody can prove otherwise – unless a 2nd floor insider (or a traitor to the current elected sheriff) decides to make copies of them - and then provide them for public disclosure.

It’s amazing that bits and pieces of those internal documents made it to leoaffairs. The next step is for the 2nd floor to begin a witch hunt to determine:
1. Who has access
2. Who is releasing the information

Releasing the information is legal (of course) because the investigation is allegedly completed, but it is nonetheless a fireable offense – if the employee is identified. Lay low my friend.

Obviously, this was a newspaper article. MORON.

[Unregistered]

Do you have the link for this story?

http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20151105/article/151109811

[PORTNOY]

http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20151105/article/151109811



It is CONFIRMED he took something. There are ways to magically enhance video and he put something in his pocket. Was it a sg30 item OR a bribe ?? Watch the video carefully again and you will see what I mean.


Captain John Walsh DOWNPLAYED the incident from a sg30 to a sg13 when he found out about it, trying to cover it up. But LEAKS within the upstairs got the right info to the right person !!

[PORTNOY]

http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20151105/article/151109811


MOD -

This story was in the Herald Tribune 2 weeks ago and is legit. It can be verified. Please continue to post the comments i have made, which abide by LEOAFFAIR rules. This incident was factual and I have the case # if you want to verify.

[Unregistered]

It is CONFIRMED he took something. There are ways to magically enhance video and he put something in his pocket. Was it a sg30 item OR a bribe ?? Watch the video carefully again and you will see what I mean.


Captain John Walsh DOWNPLAYED the incident from a sg30 to a sg13 when he found out about it, trying to cover it up. But LEAKS within the upstairs got the right info to the right person !!

BS- Video records image every 4 secs. No Magic voodoo can change that.

[Unregistered]

...I have the case # if you want to verify...

Any Tom, **** or Harry can photocopy docs (to take a pic of them with a phone) and can then upload them (for free) onto the internet for all the world to see ---- which now makes it impossible for certain 2nd floor staff members to hide things. It's a new age.

Based on what you wrote ---- is a second story coming out in the media? And if so, which H-T reporter has the info? Certain political players tried to crucify Lee Williams a couple of years ago when he wrote his first stories. It was a media blitz against him. It was weird.

[Fruit of the Loom]

Any Tom, **** or Harry can photocopy docs (to take a pic of them with a phone) and can then upload them (for free) onto the internet for all the world to see ---- which now makes it impossible for certain 2nd floor staff members to hide things. It's a new age.

Based on what you wrote ---- is a second story coming out in the media? And if so, which H-T reporter has the info? Certain political players tried to crucify Lee Williams a couple of years ago when he wrote his first stories. It was a media blitz against him. It was weird.



Yes, more is coming and it isnt going to stop. If i were MM, JW, JB, JJ or DT i would be a little worried about now.

Players can TRY to crucify Lee but that aint happening.

[Unregistered]

BS- Video records image every 4 secs. No Magic voodoo can change that.



Wrong. I saw it myself on the online version. It is clear as day.

[Unregistered]

Wrong. I saw it myself on the online version. It is clear as day.

Yeah....ok. You must be "special".

[Unregistered]

That stuff that was posted (above) obviously comes from internal documents on the 2nd floor that were never released to reporters. Whenever we have an investigation of this kind, internal memos (or notes) are written that are kept away from pubic view e.g. they are never released to the media or the public for full disclosure. It’s an internal way of documenting in-house information for staff members, who will read it the next day – BUT reporters (and the public) don’t know the existence of those internal documents, so reporters don’t ask for copies. And if a reporter puts in a records request for those documents, they will never be turned over. And nobody can prove otherwise – unless a 2nd floor insider (or a traitor to the current elected sheriff) decides to make copies of them - and then provide them for public disclosure.

It’s amazing that bits and pieces of those internal documents made it to leoaffairs. The next step is for the 2nd floor to begin a witch hunt to determine:
1. Who has access
2. Who is releasing the information

Releasing the information is legal (of course) because the investigation is allegedly completed, but it is nonetheless a fireable offense – if the employee is identified. Lay low my friend.


Always some TROLL on here trying to make something out of nothing. Everything was in the paper.

Nothing there. Same as always.

Get a life Dude!

[Unregistered]

Always some TROLL on here trying to make something out of nothing.

Please do not bring the trolls on the 2nd floor into this. That's like playing the race card.

[Mexican Mafia]

Content DELETED for violation of Terms of Use - Sysop




Yes, the video is in the Herald-Tribune archives. You can pull it up and watch the video online. The poster was right!

[Unregistered]

BS- Video records image every 4 secs. No Magic voodoo can change that.

Yes, the video is in the Herald-Tribune archives. You can pull it up and watch the video online. The poster was right! The video is useless and shows no crime being committed.

[Margerine]

People like MM should really watch their backs. Ya never know when people lose their marbles. Would be terrible! But MM and JW and JJ and DT all have labeled the SSO as a corrupt organization. Dont think for a minute that other agencies around the SW FLA area dont know your name.