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It was one man's word against another's

No third party to corroborate Largo commissioner Rodney Woods' complaint means no case.

By JARED LEONE
Published June 1, 2007

LARGO - Case closed. The police investigation into a city commissioner's complaint that an activist said he should resign - or else - will go no further because there is no third party to corroborate either man's story.

Police looked into whether civic activist Curtis Holmes threatened or extorted Commissioner Rodney Woods, but closed the inquiry this week due to lack of probable cause, police spokesman Mac McMullen said.

The case could be re-opened if new information emerges, McMullen said.

That's not likely, Woods suggested Thursday.

"At this point, I would say that in this Earth there are three people that know the truth: Curtis Holmes, myself and Jesus Christ, and I know Jesus Christ," he said.

Sgt. Ed Sohoski conducted the investigation into the 2:15 p.m. March 27 meeting that took place in the city manager's office at City Hall.

Although last week Holmes said he had not met with Woods for months, he told police the 15-minute meeting did take place. But according to the 100-page case file, Holmes said the two discussed a reclaimed water project, not threats or ultimatums.

Woods, meanwhile, told police that Holmes entered the office and commented on the nice surroundings. Then he asked Woods if he would like to keep them.

Woods said that Holmes said he was a messenger sent by the powers that be and they did not like the way he had been voting.

Woods said Holmes gave him a week to resign or information would come out that could hurt Woods politically.

"If you don't resign," Woods quoted Holmes as saying, "we're going to expose the dirt on you."

Woods told police the dirt Holmes threatened him with included three things:

- Whether Woods did anything wrong in 2005 - before he was a commissioner - when he helped victims of Hurricane Katrina, including relatives he had in Louisiana. According to City Commission minutes, Woods received more than $2, 000 to distribute. Woods said that he also gave out paper goods and bottled water to people in need, and didn't do anything wrong.

- Holmes also asked about "the character" Woods lives with, seeming to question Woods' sexual orientation. Woods said he lives with his brother, Michael Arthur.

- Holmes raised a question of whether Arthur's house has a proper homestead exemption.

"That was again some frivolous statement that Mr. Holmes said," Woods said Thursday. "Anyone checking with the county appraiser's office can definitely check that."

Woods also said that Holmes told him he was being tracked. Sohoski asked Woods if he ever felt like he was being watched. Woods said that sometimes on the weekends or evenings he would notice a strange car in the parking lot of Sun Coast Hospital across the street from his home.

Woods said he was flabbergasted by the threats and did not recall other city issues that Holmes talked about during their meeting. He said that he walked Holmes out of City Hall and was again reminded of the one-week deadline.

Holmes told Sohoski the meeting did take place that Tuesday afternoon in March. They talked about reclaimed water, but Holmes said they did not talk about Hurricane Katrina, threats or calls for resignation. Holmes said he represents only himself, and the meeting was cut short because Woods appeared to be inebriated.

"I could smell the alcohol on him and as a person who's a former drinker, and I quit drinking 20-some-odd years ago, I just thought that was in very poor taste to have a meeting with a constituent who'd show up partially in the bag," Holmes told police.

That's not true, Woods said, adding that he met with other people that day and there was no way he was drunk.

Holmes said that during their meeting he did not talk about Woods' voting record, Katrina volunteer efforts and denied making threats, asking for the commissioner's resignation or giving him an ultimatum.

"I thought he was goofy on the (Steve) Stanton deal, but I don't remember if I told him that before or afterwards," Holmes said during the interview with Sohoski.

Contacted Thursday, Holmes declined to comment, saying he would wait until he read the investigation. But when Sohoski asked what Holmes thought of Woods' allegations, Holmes said, "It's caca."

Holmes, an outspoken critic of Mayor Pat Gerard, started a Web site, www.largofuture.com, that includes a petition that has set the stage for another possible investigation of city officials.

The petition calls for an investigation of whether city officials who knew about the former city manager's plans for a sex change and didn't tell commissioners violated the city charter.

Last month, the commission voted 5-1 to ask the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office to investigate the allegation. Gerard voted against seeking the investigation. Woods was absent from that meeting.

The Sheriff's Office has received the city's request Monday but is still reviewing it and has not said whether it will investigate.

[Last modified May 31, 2007, 23:53:24]