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In the swirl of Brooksville's scandal, one case clamors

By ANDREW SKERRITT
Published January 21, 2007

Amid all of the talk about drugs, sex, infidelity, revenge and recrimination swirling around the Brooksville City Hall, one question stands out.

Did police Chief Ed Tincher abuse his power when he arrested human resources director Ron Baker on drug charges?

Baker, 71, a cancer survivor and the father of an adopted 2-year--old son, was arrested last summer after someone tipped off Tincher that Baker had given prescription pills to a colleague. Those charges were eventually dropped, but Baker told Times reporter Jonathan Abel that he's convinced that Tincher was trying to discredit him because he had complained about Tincher's alleged affair with a secretary at City Hall.

Brooksville is a small town. And just about everyone was talking about the affair, Baker said. It was undermining morale among City Hall employees.

As police chief, Tincher wields considerable clout. Residents need to know if he abused that clout to punish Baker. They won't know who's telling the truth until somebody with subpoena power begins to ask questions. It likely will take a grand jury to sort all of this out.

Unfortunately, judging from the last few weeks, getting an investigation is way more complicated than anyone imagined.

The City Council doesn't seem to know how or whom to ask. And council members can't just make this problem disappear. They can't fire Tincher, who along with Baker was placed on administrative leave.

Richard Anderson, the city manager, can fire Tincher, but he's an ally and, oh, yeah, he resigned. Baker mentioned to our reporter that another city employee had complained that Anderson sexually harassed her, although she hadn't filed an official report. The city has paid out more than $200,000 in three previous sexual harassment cases against him, yet kept him employed.

Anybody got a looking glass?

Tincher's critics know he's not the kind of guy you can get rid of easily. After he was fired in 1994 after a Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigation involving the trading of guns, his supporters mounted a recall election, and he got his job back.

Capt. Ray Schumacher, whose tip led to the FDLE investigation, was hounded out of the Police Department. Council member Joe Bernardini, never a fan of Tincher's, felt the police chief's sting when his marriage of 30 years dissolved under a spate of domestic discord. Bernardini thinks Tincher coerced his wife into pressing domestic abuse charges that led to his arrest. Those charges were later dropped.

Baker's accusations go beyond any such heavy-handedness by Tincher. They suggest abuse of power - a vengeful, petty attack on an innocent man.

That simply must be resolved.

Andrew Skerritt can be reached at 813 909-4602 or toll-free at 1-800-333-7505, ext. 4602. His e-mail address is askerritt@sptimes.com.

[Last modified January 21, 2007, 07:19:35]