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Pasco deputies threatened to sue the college for releasing attendance records, which led to their being fired.
By RYAN DAVIS, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times, published August 28, 2002
In March, Pasco County Sheriff Bob White thought he was justified in firing three corrections deputies who admitted they falsified attendance records for a class they were taking at Pasco-Hernando Community College.
He still does.
But to help PHCC avoid a potentially expensive legal battle, White has rehired two of the deputies. The third was invited back but declined.
"They should consider themselves blessed," White said Tuesday.
PHCC likely violated federal student privacy laws when it turned over attendance records to internal affairs investigators from the Sheriff's Office, school president Robert Judson said.
The internal investigation led to the firing of three deputies.
"If a court were to rule against PHCC," Judson wrote to White on July 22, "the result would not only have a negative impact on the college itself, but on the community as a whole."
Federal law allows the college to release directory information such as students' names and their program of study but not attendance records, Judson said.
The corrections deputies were taking a class -- on their own time with their own money -- that trained them to become road deputies.
The fired deputies -- Eugene Adamski Jr., James Rollston and Kimberly Becker -- hired New Port Richey attorney Declan Mansfield and threatened to sue, Judson said.
Judson told the Times on Tuesday that he was concerned the college could lose up to $5-million in federal financial aid as a penalty if the deputies filed suit.
"It would not be healthy to the school to even be going through the battle of whether (they) could or couldn't sue," Judson said.
Judson said he was "eternally grateful to the sheriff."
White said on Tuesday, "To avoid any potential adverse impact on the college and the fallout that would result throughout the community if PHCC had to defend itself . . . we just felt like there was a better course of action."
Does it bother him to have rehired two people who admitted to lying?
"Everybody's made mistakes," White said. "Hopefully, you learn from them."
During December, PHCC officials tipped off the Sheriff's Office that some corrections deputies were signing in for one another at the class.
Sheriff's officials investigated. They took handwriting samples, examined work and class attendance records and questioned deputies.
Corrections Deputy Jason Tinnel resigned.
Adamski, Rollston and Becker were fired on March 15.
According to records, Adamski said he signed for a deputy one time and that deputy signed for him one time.
Rollston said he signed for another deputy three or four times, and she signed for him three or four times.
Becker said she signed for another deputy, and the deputy signed for her seven or eight times.
Adamski opted to keep his current job in the private sector, but Becker and Rollston were rehired on July 26, sheriff's spokesman Jon Powers said.
Their pay remains the same as at the time of their firings, and their sick time has been reinstated, but they lost their seniority. Becker, 25, originally was hired in 1995. Rollston, 27, originally was hired in 1998.
They also will be on probation for a year, as is standard for new hires.
"They served a severe penalty," White said.
He said he would not have considered rehiring the deputies if Judson hadn't asked.
Judson said PHCC's director of law enforcement and correction programs, Dan Griffith, was suspended three days without pay for volunteering to release the records.
-- Ryan Davis is the police reporter in Pasco County. He can be reached in west Pasco at 869-6245, or toll-free at 800-333-7505, ext. 6245. His e-mail address is rdavis@sptimes.com.