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Guards say murder suspect made knife

The suspect planned to use the "shank" to kill jail guards, they say.

By JOSE CARDENAS
Published August 31, 2006

Marion County Jail guards have confiscated a makeshift knife that Leo Boatman, the double-murder suspect from Largo, reportedly said he would use to kill deputies or guards if he was sentenced to death, authorities said.

The jail has housed notorious inmates in the past, said Capt. James Pogue, Marion County sheriff's spokesman. But no one has kept jail personnel on their toes as much as Boatman. He previously used a razor blade in a suicide attempt.

"Quite frankly, Boatman has challenged our security measures more so than any inmate," said Pogue. "The good thing is each time he challenges us we learn from it."

Boatman was arrested in January in the murder of college students John Parker and Amber Peck, both 26, who were camping in the Ocala National Forrest. He was accused of shooting them with an AK-47 rifle after meeting them and having a conversation.

Jail guards received the tip about Boatman's knife from another inmate, Lester Williams, 27, who is serving time for sexual battery, Pogue said.

The knife was 6 to 8 inches long and fashioned from a metal rod.

Williams, whose cell in a high-security area is next to Boatman's, saw Boatman with the shank Aug. 18. He told a corrections officer about it the next day.

The corrections officer told Williams to try to get the knife from Boatman; otherwise, the officer would have to do a shakedown.

Williams asked Boatman if he could borrow the knife so he could hurt himself. Williams enticed Boatman with Thorazine tablets that Williams had avoided swallowing when medical personnel had given them to him.

Williams got the knife from Boatman and handed it over to guards Aug. 21.

Boatman had got the metal rod during the half-hour period when he was allowed to leave his cell for recreation in an open room, officials said.

The room has a correctional officer's desk, and Pogue said it appeared the officer became distracted, allowing Boatman to grab the rod from the desk.

In Boatman's cell, Pogue said, officers found marks on the metal bed frame caused by rubbing to shape the rod into the blade.

Because of Boatman's latest action, Pogue said, several new security measures, including more shakedowns and restricted use of electronic devices by guards, have been instituted.

Officers, for example, now are not allowed to carry cell phones on duty, so they won't be distracted. And when officers check up on Boatman, they must fill in a log and indicate what was done during the check.

Pogue said Boatman said he planned to use the knife to kill jail guards during a hostage situation. Williams decided to help because he got along with some jail personnel.

"He kind of befriended the guards," Pogue said of Williams. "They treated him humanely, and he did not want to see anyone hurt."

[Last modified August 31, 2006, 06:49:40]