Post by WaTcHeR on May 20, 2006 13:06:37 GMT -5
05/20/2006 -
PALM COAST -- Flagler Beach Police Chief Roger Free has asked Florida's top law enforcement agency to investigate an officer whose credibility has come under fire after his arrest of a state attorney's daughter.
Free said Wednesday he notified the Florida Department of Law Enforcement this week to look into statements by a Flagler County grand jury and State Attorney John Tanner that Flagler Beach Officer Nathaniel Juratovac "is simply not believable."
Last week, Tanner issued a statement saying his office plans to dismiss all pending criminal cases "based solely" or "dependent in any material way" on Juratovac's testimony. On Wednesday, Tanner spokeswoman Linda Pruitt said the state attorney is reviewing "less than 200 cases" involving Juratovac.
But Free wouldn't say if he specifically requested the FDLE to review all cases involving Juratovac or only those stemming from two arrests of Tanner's daughter Lisa Tanner in 2005.
"I want them to look into any and all reports involving the allegations" against Juratovac, Free said.
Sharon Gogerty, FDLE spokeswoman, would not confirm or deny that her agency was investigating Juratovac.
Tanner's spokeswoman would not provide any further information about the scope of the office's review of Juratovac's cases. She said only that Tanner's office is "diligently reviewing" a mix of misdemeanor and felony cases.
"That's our primary focus," she said. "Each case will be handled individually and a determination may be different in each case."
Juratovac's March 2005 arrest of Lisa Tanner set off a controversial chain of events that resulted in the arrests of two Flagler County jail guards.
Earlier this month, a grand jury charged Flagler County sheriff's Sgt. Betty Miller Lavictoire, 50, and Cpl. Brian Pasquariello, 28, for strapping Lisa Tanner into a restraint chair after her March 2005 arrest by Juratovac.
Charges against Lisa Tanner from the March 2005 arrest were dropped by 18th Judicial Circuit State Attorney Norman Wolfinger. The grand jury dropped charges earlier this month in a second arrest of Tanner by Juratovac. .
Free said he asked for the outside investigation because he wants "to get to the truth" but said the request was not intended to help Juratovac save his job.
"As a police chief, you always hope they don't find anything wrong with your officer" but "my job is not to save careers," he said.
Juratovac was not indicted by the grand jury. But in its report, the grand jury blasted Juratovac's conduct during the November arrest of Lisa Tanner and asked John Tanner to dismiss all criminal cases based on Juratovac's testimony.
Tanner followed through on the grand jury's suggestions, announcing that he will dismiss all cases based on Juratovac's testimony, not use any of Juratovac's testimony in any prosecution or investigation and "promptly refer" the officer to the Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission for a certification review.
Reached by phone Wednesday, Juratovac declined to comment specifically on the FDLE investigation.
"It's all going to come out in the end," he said. "You'll see in the end."
PALM COAST -- Flagler Beach Police Chief Roger Free has asked Florida's top law enforcement agency to investigate an officer whose credibility has come under fire after his arrest of a state attorney's daughter.
Free said Wednesday he notified the Florida Department of Law Enforcement this week to look into statements by a Flagler County grand jury and State Attorney John Tanner that Flagler Beach Officer Nathaniel Juratovac "is simply not believable."
Last week, Tanner issued a statement saying his office plans to dismiss all pending criminal cases "based solely" or "dependent in any material way" on Juratovac's testimony. On Wednesday, Tanner spokeswoman Linda Pruitt said the state attorney is reviewing "less than 200 cases" involving Juratovac.
But Free wouldn't say if he specifically requested the FDLE to review all cases involving Juratovac or only those stemming from two arrests of Tanner's daughter Lisa Tanner in 2005.
"I want them to look into any and all reports involving the allegations" against Juratovac, Free said.
Sharon Gogerty, FDLE spokeswoman, would not confirm or deny that her agency was investigating Juratovac.
Tanner's spokeswoman would not provide any further information about the scope of the office's review of Juratovac's cases. She said only that Tanner's office is "diligently reviewing" a mix of misdemeanor and felony cases.
"That's our primary focus," she said. "Each case will be handled individually and a determination may be different in each case."
Juratovac's March 2005 arrest of Lisa Tanner set off a controversial chain of events that resulted in the arrests of two Flagler County jail guards.
Earlier this month, a grand jury charged Flagler County sheriff's Sgt. Betty Miller Lavictoire, 50, and Cpl. Brian Pasquariello, 28, for strapping Lisa Tanner into a restraint chair after her March 2005 arrest by Juratovac.
Charges against Lisa Tanner from the March 2005 arrest were dropped by 18th Judicial Circuit State Attorney Norman Wolfinger. The grand jury dropped charges earlier this month in a second arrest of Tanner by Juratovac. .
Free said he asked for the outside investigation because he wants "to get to the truth" but said the request was not intended to help Juratovac save his job.
"As a police chief, you always hope they don't find anything wrong with your officer" but "my job is not to save careers," he said.
Juratovac was not indicted by the grand jury. But in its report, the grand jury blasted Juratovac's conduct during the November arrest of Lisa Tanner and asked John Tanner to dismiss all criminal cases based on Juratovac's testimony.
Tanner followed through on the grand jury's suggestions, announcing that he will dismiss all cases based on Juratovac's testimony, not use any of Juratovac's testimony in any prosecution or investigation and "promptly refer" the officer to the Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission for a certification review.
Reached by phone Wednesday, Juratovac declined to comment specifically on the FDLE investigation.
"It's all going to come out in the end," he said. "You'll see in the end."