Bryan inquiry trod fine line
St. Petersburg police release a report that shows a swift but cautious investigation.
By AARON SHAROCKMAN, Times Staff Writer
Published September 28, 2007
ST. PETERSBURG -- Police detectives knew they needed to tread carefully when the tip about John Bryan arrived Sept. 5.
How do you investigate a popular member of the City Council, particularly one who is friends with the police chief's boss, Mayor Rick Baker?
Whom do you talk to? How far do you go?
Details released Thursday paint the picture of a highly sensitive criminal inquiry that zeroed in on one of the city's own.
At each turn, investigators were swift but cautious, balancing the seriousness of the allegations with a weighty political reality, according to a 36-page police report and a series of interviews with police and city officials.
"Whenever you talk about making an arrest, that's a pretty traumatic thing. People's lives are at stake," said former Pinellas County Sheriff Everett Rice, who is not affiliated with the investigation. "When you're talking about a high-profile case, you have to move cautiously.
"It's a very difficult situation."
Police began their investigation into Bryan shortly before 4 p.m. Sept. 5. By the end of that first night, much already was uncovered. According to the report:
- In the hours after the initial allegations, police interviewed Bryan, his three adopted daughters and his wife. The response was quicker than normal, say child advocates familiar with abuse investigations.
- Information moved up the chain of command but stopped short of Baker himself, who knew only very basic details. Police also consulted with the State Attorney's Office.
- Bryan acknowledged inappropriately touching one of his adopted daughters. But police said they wanted more time to make their case. The victims' statements did not all match, and the allegations were two years old.
"I think they handled things as well as they possibly could," Baker said Thursday afternoon. "It was a very difficult issue."
Andrea Moore, executive director of Florida's Children First, said it can sometimes take authorities days or weeks to launch an investigation of sexual abuse.
That St. Petersburg pounced so quickly is a credit to investigators, she said.
"People, even cops, really don't want to believe that there is incest happening in families, even in nice families," Moore said.
Mayor knew little
As news of the allegations spread within the Police Department, two high-ranking department officials told Chief Chuck Harmon about the investigation.
Harmon then called his boss, Mayor Baker.
The conversation, which happened hours into the investigation, was the only time police information passed into the political realm of City Hall, both Baker and Harmon said.
The conversation was short and included no details of the abuse.
"I told him to do what you normally would do," Baker said Thursday.
Christopher Slobogin, a law professor at the University of Florida, said it is unusual that the police chief informed the mayor of a criminal investigation.
But if no details of the allegations were shared, he said it would do little harm.
"The fact that this guy Baker was kind of his boss, muddies the waters a bit," Slobogin said.
Harmon, meanwhile, says he wants the State Attorney's Office to pursue an investigation of Pinellas-Pasco courts spokesman Ron Stuart.
Stuart provided details of the allegations to the media based on a public court hearing to bar Bryan from visiting his daughters.
The details had been kept secret until then.
Executive Assistant State Attorney Beverly Andringa said there is some question whether Stuart was permitted to release the information.
Andringa, Rice and others said Thursday that it is not unusual that police decided to hold off on arresting Bryan on that first night.
There was no ongoing abuse, and Bryan was not staying with his daughters, according to police.
To them, that meant there was no immediate threat.
Sgt. Katy Connor-Dubina, the head of the department's crimes against children unit, said police also wanted to collect more details from other witnesses.
"This is a complex case that's two years old," she said.
Ultimately, police believe Bryan could have been charged with two counts of lewd and lascivious molestation. If convicted, Bryan could have gotten up to 30 years in prison.
He committed suicide at his lake home in Floral City before police could finish their investigation.
Dead men aren't prosecuted, Andringa said.
Abhi Raghunathan and Cristina Silva contributed to this report. Aaron Sharockman can be reached at asharockman@sptimes.com or (727) 892-2273.