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Deputy dumped man from wheelchair, video suggests
By Rebecca Catalanello, Times Staff Writer
Published February 12, 2008
TAMPA - Sheriff's officials are investigating why a deputy in a jail booking video appears to dump a quadriplegic man out of his wheelchair.
Hillsborough sheriff's spokesman J.D. Callaway said the agency is looking into what happened to Brian D. Sterner, 32, during his Jan. 29 booking at the Orient Road Jail, after a television reporter confronted Callaway with the jail's own video.
Footage aired on WTSP-Ch. 10 Monday night showed a uniformed officer unseating Sterner from his chair, then searching him as he lay on the floor where he had fallen.
"She said, 'Stand up.' I said, 'I can't I'm a quadriplegic,'" he told the St. Petersburg Times late Monday. "Next thing I know, I don't see anyone and I feel the wheelchair being pushed up."
Sterner suffered a spinal cord injury at age 18, following a wrestling accident in June 1994. In the past 13-plus years, he said, he's never had to prove to someone that he is disabled. And he isn't quite sure what led the deputy to question him as she did.
"I made it clear in plain language that I was a quadriplegic," he said. Sterner said that even his hands bear the calluses of a man who navigates life if a chair. "I push every day," he said.
Sterner served four years as director of the Florida Spinal Cord Injury Resource Center until 2006. In recent years, he sold wheelchair vans until being laid off in January. Sterner also played wheelchair rugby for 10 years on teams in Spokane, Philadelphia and, locally, the Tampa Generals. According to his MySpace page, he holds a master's in philosophy from Gonzaga University.
State records show Sterner has no prior Florida arrests. The Jan. 29 arrest, a charge of fleeing and attempting to elude a law enforcement officer, stemmed from an Oct. 25 incident, according to court records.
Callaway said he had no details Monday on the basis for the arrest.
Sterner said it started as a traffic stop in Ybor City, and he doesn't know how it escalated into the fleeing and eluding charge. Court records show that Sterner was cited Oct. 25 for blocking an intersection.
Callaway said he could not provide the booking video to the Times on Monday. He offered no explanation for the actions of the officer. "That will all come to light in the coming days," he said.
Meanwhile, Sterner said he's asked Largo attorney John Trevena to look into the matter.
"I'm not really into lawyers," Sterner said. "But I do believe in responsibility and I'm very glad there were cameras pointed in that area because what she did to me is wrong. There's no debating it - just plain wrong."
Rebecca Catalanello can be reached at rcatalanello@sptimes.com or 813 226-3383.
[Last modified February 12, 2008, 11:45:05]
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Comments on this article
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by Steve
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03/11/08 08:37 PM
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Ok they suppend the one pig what about the ones that watch. They are suppose to uphold the law and they didn't. Fire all of them it the only right thing to do and replace the sheriff.
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by Racquel
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02/24/08 09:58 AM
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RC....you're an idiot! Aparently you see only what you want! There were 2 White people in there as well....so what's their excuse? It's sad, out of all that went on...all you can come up with is a lame comment about race! Wrong is wrong!
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by RJ
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02/19/08 04:00 PM
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How many of these Carlos's are out there? Does not matter. We know how severe the tax payer penalty will be. Do not discredit yourself by attempting to defend the indefensible. Such actions will certainly only make the judgment more severe.
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by Virginia
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02/18/08 08:25 PM
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Carlos, are you stupid? There is NO GOOD REASON to dump a diabled person out of the wheel chair. She is a monster!
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by Suzy
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02/18/08 07:45 PM
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It's always some thug, or "adult bully," disguised as a professional, committing crimes against the innocent. How this officer was able to work in direct service, is a mystery to me, considering her background. I pray that this poor man gets justice
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by Tony
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02/15/08 11:28 PM
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All of these cops should be fired and prosecuted crimnally. Also, in Fla. public employees must forfeit taxpayer-funded portions of their pensions when they commit certain crimes. This crime must qualify under the law. This will teach them a lesson.
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by Anthony
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02/15/08 03:35 PM
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LAST FILE, THANK YOU, AND HOPE CNN MAKES PROPER JUSTICE TO ALL THRU THIS CASE, OR MAYBE WAKES UP JUSTICE SYSTEM.
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by Carlos Lopez
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02/15/08 07:55 AM
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Many of you have decided that this is a race issue. Well it's not. Put yourself in her shoes. How would you like to deal with criminals on a daily basis. Its not easy being a Deputy. Damned if you do....Damned if you don't.
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by Carlos Lopez
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02/15/08 07:49 AM
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Let's not throw stones in a glass house. We really don't know the whole story. Remember, he was locked up for fleeing and eluding and had no problem with disobeying the police. Because you're a quadreplegic doesn't excuse you from obeying the law.
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by ANTHONY
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02/15/08 05:19 AM
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EVERY JOB HAS GOOD AND BAD PEOPLE. DEPUTY, COPS SHOULD BE VERY RESPECTED!, BUT! MOST OF THERE CRIMES ARE COVERED UP, THIS SHOULD NOT HAPPEN IN POLICE TERROR ACTS. COPS OFF DUTY CAN BREAK ANY LAW IN ANY STATE.
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by Toni Sevchuk
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02/14/08 04:53 PM
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Abuse of power! Evil people in "high places"...She will stand before our creator and answer for all her abuse just like any of her "captaives"...who she thinks she has the right to punish on her own. The Department of Corrections will hire her!
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by elaine
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02/14/08 11:09 AM
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heart breaking, disgusting, sickening are many ways to discribe this video. It hits anyone with an ounce of humanity to the core. I will refrain from commenting on what I think of these
officers, because you probably couldn't
print it.
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by Dennis
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02/13/08 10:24 PM
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I am also 100% disabled as a result of a spinal cord injury. I was jailed for a family law contempt of court matter. While in jail, I also experienced unreal abuse by sheriff's deputies as a result of my disability. I held of long enough filing suit.
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by RC
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02/13/08 09:54 PM
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The civil right of this "white" quadriplegic were violated by the deputy. She was black and so was the other deputy who assaulted the victim. Where is the Justice Department now, do whites count? PS: I can't wait to see the civil award $$$$$$$$$$$.
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by scott
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02/13/08 09:11 PM
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i think the police involved should be fired and sent to jail. in my state it is a felony to hit or otherwise hurt someone that is handicapped. the cops involved should be fired and sent to jail without a trial because they are guilty by the video
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by Jeff
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02/13/08 05:37 PM
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I couldn't believe when I saw the video clip on the news. AWFUL!!
Justice will prevail and those officers will be paying for this for some time, I'm sure.
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by Dave
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02/13/08 04:26 PM
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I have agreat respect for the folks in law enforcement.A-Holes like these four individuals give all the good guys a bad name. Why can't they be fired and then arrested for the crime they commited?
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by Alan
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02/13/08 04:12 PM
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Well this is florida after all......what do you expect???
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by Randy
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02/13/08 03:40 PM
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To poster "C" -- Most quadriplegics' including myself of 34 years. Yes we have hands but they are extremely limited in strength or use and most of us have no finger use. SAD.... The little progress in peoples attitudes I've seen in the past 30 years
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by Jon
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02/13/08 02:52 PM
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same old double standard, if this had been white cops and black being dumped this story would be ALL over every news channel, with Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson screaming RACISM. where is the outrage from the national news on this story?
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by Daniel
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02/13/08 02:25 PM
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You can see in the video that Sterner's legs are atrophied. You can see that he demonstrated this to the officer. Kudos to the Sheriff for releasing the video.
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by x dep
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02/13/08 11:05 AM
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ther"s no audio,but it doesn"t look good.
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by john
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02/13/08 10:10 AM
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Ohh yea, You better belieive if this was a white on black crime it would have been the top story of every national news outlet. I had to search the internet to find anything on it. None of the boston papers even mentioned it. What discrimination ????
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by MANUEL
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02/13/08 09:36 AM
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SEEING THAT THIS WAS A BLACK PERSON DOING THE PUSHING WE WILL SEE IF AL SHARPTON OR REV. JESSE ARE GOING TO COME TO HIS AIDE.I DOUBT IT
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by TF
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02/13/08 08:59 AM
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OMG! I was shocked when I seen this. "Hillsborough" must not a safe place to live if the Hillsborough sheriff's department treats people like this. This is totally sick and degrading. Everyone Involved in this should be fired! with no questions asked
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by Bill
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02/13/08 08:57 AM
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typical of many cops. Notice none of the other officers seemed offended at the act. Lets clean up our law enforcement offices.
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by Mystie
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02/13/08 07:56 AM
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My dad was paralyzed in 2003 during back surgery. Brian was his mentor for coping with his spinal cord injury during that time. I'm shocked that a sheriff of my own hometown could be such a narrowminded idiot as to potentially further injure a quad.
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by Thomas
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02/13/08 07:51 AM
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Boycott Tampa, no vacations, no corporate events. I am not even suprised to see these actions. The smiling/laughing cop should be forced to do community service with disabled wheelchair bound persons. He is an ass.
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by Anastasia Fl Native
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02/13/08 07:48 AM
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a video is not worth a thousand words. wait to see the whole. these were correction officers not road officers...BIG DIFFERENCE ....internal affairs will investigate, justice will prevail, thats why there are lawyers and courts.
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by B. A.
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02/13/08 07:46 AM
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As usual, another African American doing a racist thing on camera, but where is Al Sharpton now? oh, he was white(the victim) so it doesn't matter.
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by Bill
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02/13/08 07:43 AM
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Where is the Race outcry? This is clearly a race crime, or do race crimes not exist when it is black on white crimes? Where is the white Al Sharpton, or the white Jessie Jackson to bring these crimes to light? This Deputy Needs to Swing!!!
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by Raymod
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02/13/08 07:40 AM
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these deputys were suspended without pay....thats it? they deserve to be fired if situation was vice versa naacp would see them fired!
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by Rick
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02/13/08 07:03 AM
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Where the hell is Al Sharpton when we need him? I think those deputies all have a suit against that quad for not carrying a huge sign and the county for taping their repulsive behavior without signed concent. Shame on all those that just stood by.
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by Mom of a quad
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02/13/08 04:52 AM
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C- a person can have some limitations, yet still use their hands, arms..just not as well as normal.Quad or para doesn't mean "paralyzed" just affected.
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by Outraged Reader
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02/13/08 02:59 AM
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This Callaway person has no conscience or professionalism and lets his loyalty to a corrupt police force overcome the higher ideal he is supposed to serve, that of justice and service to the community. He should be fired as well.
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News
Fifty years ago, they were screwed-up kids sent to the Florida School for Boys to be straightened out. But now they are screwed-up men, scarred by the whippings they endured. Read the story and see a video and portrait gallery.
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