Deputy was cleared in earlier shootings

BROOKSVILLE -- Since he joined the Sheriff's Office in 1998, Deputy Scott Lamia has fired his gun twice at moving vehicles.

The first time, in 2000, he shot out a tire.

Last week, he shot a man, who later died.

Lamia is the focus of a state investigation into the shooting of John Thomas Tenison, 45. Tenison was wanted on possible charges of trespassing and driving with a suspended license.

Authorities said they think Tenison tried to run over Lamia and that the deputy fired in self-defense.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating.

The shooting has concerned and outraged neighbors, who question why a sheriff's deputy would fire his .40-caliber Glock on a quiet, residential street where children play.

Records show that the Sheriff's Office has investigated Lamia twice in the past two years for firing his gun. In both cases, no one was injured, and he was cleared.

In 2000, Lamia was off duty when he heard that another deputy was trying to stop a van near the still-under-construction Suncoast Parkway, records show.

Lamia heard that Deputy Dwayne Lemus had spotted a 1978 Ford van driving on a dirt road without headlights. Lemus tried to stop the van, but the driver kept going, authorities said.

The van got stuck, and the driver, Ray Bliss, was trying to free it as deputies shouted for him to stop.

Lamia and another deputy stood behind the van.

Suddenly, the driver put the van into reverse, and it lunged toward the deputies, reports said. Lamia fired two shots into a rear tire, and the van stopped, authorities said.

Bliss, a Hudson shrimper, put his van into park and raised his hands into the air to surrender, authorities said.

The Sheriff's Office determined that Lamia had a "well-founded fear" for his safety and cleared him of any wrongdoing, records show.

He was investigated last year for shooting at a 35-year-old man during what began as a traffic stop.

Lamia said he tried to stop a car that was speeding on U.S. 19. He and another deputy tried to arrest the driver, Daniel Cunningham, but Cunningham resisted, investigators said.

Lamia followed Cunningham into nearby woods and ordered him to stop. Cunningham turned, and Lamia thought he was possibly holding a weapon, authorities said.

Lamia fired one shot but missed Cunningham. The Sheriff's Office cleared Lamia of that shooting last October.

Lamia, 26, is on paid leave until the FDLE completes its investigation, which is expected to take a month.

The State Attorney's Office will then decide whether to press charges.

The Medical Examiner's Office said Monday it will not release autopsy results for Tenison until the FDLE investigation is finished.

Sheriff Richard Nugent has said that Lamia is a dedicated employee who has worked hard to take drunken drivers off the roads in Hernando County.

He said the agency has not received many complaints about Lamia.

Nugent is waiting for the state to finish its investigation, and then he will begin his own.

-- Jamie Jones covers law enforcement and courts in Hernando County and can be reached at 754-6114. Send e-mail to jjones@sptimes.com.

© 2006 • All Rights Reserved • Tampa Bay Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111

Contact the Times | Privacy Policy
Standard of Accuracy | Terms, Conditions & Copyright