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Sheriff defends decisions

Jeff Dawsy chose to keep a lieutenant after the officer's driving incident and subsequent apology.

By JOHN FRANK
Published February 2, 2007

INVERNESS -Sheriff Jeff Dawsy said he considered firing Lt. James Martone but decided against it after the high-ranking officer apologized and said he was seeking help for his alcohol use.

Dawsy ordered an internal affairs investigation earlier this month after Martone was pulled over the night of Jan. 13 for driving erratically on Old Floral City Road. The deputy and a supervisor who later responded to the scene said Martone appeared intoxicated, but they let him get a ride home from his wife without taking a field sobriety test or receiving a ticket.

"I felt James acknowledged an issue and he was seeking treatment," Dawsy said. "... He apologized for tarnishing the badge, which he did."

The sheriff made the remarks during an interview Thursday in which he defended his agency amid questions on whether Martone received favorable treatment.

Jan. 19, Dawsy revoked Martone's badge and gun, suspending him for three weeks and demoting him to a civilian child protective investigator.

"I think this is a very severe punishment. It's right next to terminating him," he said.

Dawsy wouldn't say whether Cpl. Kenneth Amsler made the appropriate decision to let Martone go home that night. "I could go either way," he said. "I don't know how to second guess my guys."

He acknowledges that the incident, which has sparked strong feelings within the community, erodes his agency's credibility. But he strongly believes that the integrity of the Sheriff's Office is intact. He said this is a unique and isolated incident in an agency that employs about 220 sworn officers.

Calling himself "the most ethical person in this profession," Dawsy said he upheld his campaign promise of professionalism by not sweeping the incident under the rug.

"There is going to be a perception out there. I can't do anything about that," said Dawsy, who faces re-election in 2008. "You can't evaluate any particular organization on one issue."

The traffic stop involving Martone, 43, wasn't the first disparaging incident involving the Sheriff's Office in recent years:

-Last week, a banquet for the agency was interrupted when a suspect handcuffed in the back seat of a patrol cruiser managed to drive off with a deputy's car. He was captured after a short chase.

- The ongoing trial of John Couey in the 2005 death of Jessica Lunsford continues to plague the department after a judge threw out the key confession because the officers interrogating Couey violated his constitutional rights.

-In 2003, four deputies lost their jobs, including one who was forced out after speeding 45 mph over the limit to get to a convenience store to buy beer before the 2 a.m. cutoff.

Dawsy said these episodes were all handled appropriately and didn't embarrass the agency.

"Give me a break," he said.

John Frank can be reached at jfrank@sptimes.com or 860-7312.

[Last modified February 1, 2007, 23:02:02]