Grand jury starts to hear case of wandering judge

By SUE CARLTON

© St. Petersburg Times, published October 4, 2000

TAMPA -- A Hillsborough County grand jury began the task Tuesday of trying to sort out the strange case of the circuit judge accused of sneaking into the chambers of a fellow judge.

Jerry Hill, the Polk County prosecutor assigned to look into whether Circuit Judge Robert Bonanno committed a crime, arrived at the Hillsborough Courthouse early.

By lunchtime, a panel of more than a dozen men and women had been sworn in. Soon after, Scott Peterka, a Florida Department of Law Enforcement agent, joined them behind the closed doors of the grand jury room, carrying a thick binder and several large charts.

By law, what goes on in the grand jury room is secret, and witnesses generally are not allowed to discuss their testimony.

But jurors probably learned Tuesday that Bonanno was discovered in the inner offices of Circuit Judge Greg Holder after 5 p.m on a Thursday in July. Holder's bailiff said she was startled when she let herself into the darkened offices and realized there was someone inside. The figure, who turned out to be Bonanno, didn't answer her calls at first and seemed to be trying to hide, she later reported.

Holder said it was widely known that he was out of town on military duty that day, and he called for an investigation. Bonanno's attorney, Ralph Fernandez, countered that his client was simply there to talk about courthouse business.

On Tuesday, Fernandez said he is considering filing a motion to ask the judge assigned to oversee the grand jury, Pinellas-Pasco Chief Circuit Judge Susan Schaeffer, to specifically define the parameters of the inquiry.

In a courthouse plagued with controversy, Fernandez said, he is worried that the grand jury could use Bonanno's case as a springboard. It could ultimately look into anything from the suicide of State Attorney Harry Lee Coe to allegations that Circuit Judge Gasper Ficarrotta had an affair with a bailiff.

Hill said Tuesday that he wasn't sure why Fernandez would be so concerned.

When a grand jury inquiry is completed, jurors can indict or decline to indict. The jurors can also issue a "presentment," a report of their investigation and any recommendations they have.

Fernandez has said that Bonanno would willingly testify if called. Neither Bonanno nor Holderappeared before the grand jury Tuesday.

The grand jury is expected to meet on Wednesdays beginning next week. The case could last weeks.

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