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Pasco school official arrested
By CARY DAVIS and RYAN DAVIS NEW PORT RICHEY -- Gus Manticos was sitting in the back of a deputy's patrol car Wednesday night, handcuffed and on his way to jail. He had just been arrested on a misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct, accused of lashing out at his girlfriend in an obscenity-laced tirade. But according to Manticos, the deputy was the one in trouble. "He made several comments that I "would get mine' because he is a "public official' and the School Board would have their way with me," Deputy Kenneth Petrillo wrote in his report. "He stated he would make sure that not only did I lose my job, but that I would be arrested for violating his Fifth Amendment rights." Manticos, 56, is director of athletics for the Pasco school district, supervising the teams, coaches and thousands of players in the county. He also works part time at night as the assistant principal at Marchman Technical Education Center, a vocational school in New Port Richey. School Superintendent John Long said Thursday that he will talk with Manticos today and then decide what action to take. By law, the state Department of Education will conduct its own investigation. "I'm absolutely flabbergasted at this story," Long said. "I hope there's something wrong with the police report." The police report gives this account: An anonymous citizen who was leaving the Applebee's Restaurant on Little Road on Wednesday night called authorities to report that an intoxicated man, later identified as Manticos, was passed out in the parking lot. Paramedics responded, checked Manticos' vital signs and determined he did not need medical attention. Petrillo, the sheriff's deputy, arrived and began talking to Manticos' girlfriend, Theresa Hagerman. Hagerman, 36, told Petrillo that she and Manticos had been drinking earlier Thursday night at Pour Boys Bar on Little Road next to the Applebee's. As Petrillo was interviewing Hagerman, Manticos started yelling obscenities, the deputy wrote. "You f------ b----! You f------ jerk! Look what you've done now!" Manticos screamed at Hagerman, according to Petrillo's report. Manticos' tirade caught the attention of several couples leaving Applebee's. Petrillo told Manticos he would be arrested if he did not keep his voice down. Manticos twice ignored the deputy's warning, continuing to scream obscenities at Hagerman as more restaurant patrons, including a child, stopped to watch. Petrillo then handcuffed Manticos and arrested him for disorderly conduct. Manticos did not resist arrest, but he was far from cooperative, Petrillo wrote. After threatening to make sure Petrillo lost his job, Manticos refused to get out of the deputy's car when they reached the Land O'Lakes jail. A second officer had to help pull Manticos from the car. Once inside, Manticos became abusive toward corrections officers at the jail, Petrillo wrote. Manticos spent more than eight hours in the jail before posting $250 bail at 9 a.m. Thursday. Repeated calls to Manticos' Tarpon Springs home Thursday evening went unanswered. Hagerman also could not be reached. The account Manticos gave two school officials Thursday did not match Petrillo's report. According to Long and Jim Davis, the director of employee relations for the district, Manticos said he let a woman borrow his Corvette. When she didn't return after several hours, Manticos said he found her in the Ridge Plaza parking lot. He said she was being arrested and deputies were impounding the Corvette, so he started yelling at her. Petrillo's report does not mention a Corvette or say anything about an impounded car. The Sheriff's Office also has no record of Hagerman being arrested Wednesday night. After learning of the police account from a Times reporter Thursday, Long said, "If that's the case, I'd be very disappointed." "He should have told me this," Long said. Long said he has never had any problems with Manticos, a 30-year employee of the school district. Before taking the athletics director job in September, Manticos was vice principal at Gulf Middle School, where he was in charge of student discipline. He also was a standout defensive back at Florida State University, playing on the same team as NFL great wide receiver Fred Biletnikoff. "This is not normal for Gus," Long said.
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