St. Petersburg Times
January 9, 1992

Sheriff Charlie Wells may be the only politician in Manatee County with nothing to hide. And for that, Wells says he can thank his wife, an unknown burglar and a host of political opponents.

As Wells tells it, back in 1984 his wife pulled a ""practical joke'' by snapping a picture of him nude from the waist down as he walked out of the bathroom of his Bradenton home.

Then, last summer, full-frontal shots of the surprised sheriff began popping up all over Manatee County, just in time for his re-election campaign.