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Choice of Ober troubles NAACP

The Jennifer Porter uproar is the crux of criticism now that he is heading a teen death inquiry.

By ABBIE VANSICKLE
Published March 8, 2006

State NAACP leaders are questioning whether Hillsborough County State Attorney Mark Ober is the right person to investigate the death of a teen at a North Florida juvenile boot camp.

The criticism was sparked by Ober's handling of another controversial case: Jennifer Porter, the white teacher involved in a hit-and-run accident that left two black children dead.

NAACP leaders say they are "gravely concerned" about Ober's ability to objectively investigate the death of 14-year-old Martin Lee Anderson, according to a statement released Tuesday.

Beverlye Neal, the state executive director for the NAACP, said the group was unsatisfied with the Ober's prosecution of Porter "because we thought that the charges should be much more severe."

Ober charged Porter with leaving the scene of an accident rather than the more serious charge of vehicular homicide. She was sentenced to house arrest.

The case outraged many community members, who accused Ober of racial bias.

NAACP branches throughout the state were encouraged to attend a rally Monday at the Medical Examiner's Office in Tampa to show support for a second autopsy of the teen.

Anderson, who was black, died Jan. 6 after he was forcibly restrained by several guards at a Bay County boot camp. Bay County Medical Examiner Charles Siebert Jr. ruled the death was the result of complications of sickle cell trait, a conclusion criticized by many in the medical community. A videotape of the teen's final moments at the boot camp shows several guards striking him.

Lawmakers and the boy's family demanded a second autopsy and an independent investigation.

Bay County State Attorney Steve Meadows asked Gov. Jeb Bush to appoint a special prosecutor to avoid any appearance of partiality. Bush appointed Ober.

The body is to be exhumed at 9:30 a.m. Friday in Panama City and taken to Tampa for another autopsy, set for Monday.

Anderson's body is scheduled to be examined by Dr. Vern Adams, the Hillsborough medical examiner, and Michael Baden, a forensic pathologist who reviewed medical evidence in the slaying of civil rights leader Medgar Evers and was a member of O.J. Simpson's defense team.

A representative from Ober's office and the family's attorney, Benjamin L. Crump, will be present at the autopsy, Crump said. He said he is aware of the NAACP's concerns about the Porter case, but he has been working "very cooperatively" with Ober's office.

"We think that Ober moving the autopsy from Bay County to Hillsborough County so that it could be completely independent is encouraging," he said.

"People everywhere are demanding justice for what happened to Martin Anderson," Crump said. "When you watch that videotape, it's clear that this kid was abused. I think, clearly, that he was murdered. . . . At the end of the day, we're trying to have faith in the system."

A spokeswoman for Ober said the office will not comment until the inquiry is finished.

Abbie VanSickle can be reached at 352 860-7312 or vansickle@sptimes.com

[Last modified March 8, 2006, 01:41:06]