Who’s Protecting Escambia County?

Once upon a time, when people spoke of Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, there was respect in their voices, an air of reverence and admiration that went without question. Now, there is just an aura of malevolence and shame. That is all that remains.

We all are aware that Morgan is NOT any example of a law enforcement officer. We are also cognizant that Haines is not any closer to be a cop than Morgan. His success come from instilling fear, manipulating honorable people into dubious situations for no better reason than he wants to control. In order to survive, “yes men & women” are necessary to fall in line. Rank and file led by historic failures and an embarrassment to law enforcement.

Recently, there was a public records request obtained that included text messages from ECSO staff members. It should be noted the texts are from people in leadership positions at the ECSO. The same people making decisions about how to investigate cases, make arrests and keep the community safe. These same people are responsible for deciding the fate of so many people without opposition or any check and balance.

During the summer of 2019, make-believe investigation was ordered on Chief Deputy Eric Haines by Sheriff David Morgan. This supposed investigation was to be centered around his treatment of females. Keep in mind that a Federal Court judge has ruled long ago that Eric Haines had displayed conduct that indicated gender bias. The investigator assigned was Mindy von Ansbach Young, who is a subordinate of Chief Haines. Young is in the chain of command for Haines. Still Morgan believed it was a good idea to have a subordinate investigate a supervisor.

Surprisingly, Young fulfilled the dog and pony show of an investigation and it was determined that Chief Haines had committed no violation! How lucky for him. The following text messages were obtained from the ECSO through a hard-fought public records request. The content speaks for itself. Incomprehensibly, Young seems to deeply admire Haines. For this reason, she should have never been assigned to investigate him.

Here are the highlights from the Eric Haines IA: pages-from-i2019-015_eric-haines-ia_unlocked_page_01.jpg Pages from I2019-015_Eric Haines IA_unlocked_Page_02

Pages from I2019-015_Eric Haines IA_unlocked_Page_04 — The witnesses highlighted are in the command staff or is Lee Tyree.

pages-from-i2019-015_eric-haines-ia_unlocked_page_05.jpg

Here is the link to the entire IA: I2019-015_Eric Haines IA_unlocked

Just to remind everyone, Mindy von Ansbach Young has previously been mentioned in this blog.

For further entertainment here are some of the texts between Young & Haines:

Pages from unlocked text file-3_Page_1 (2)

Pages from unlocked text file-3_Page_2 (3)

Pages from unlocked text file-3_Page_2 (2)

But to sum it up:

mindy Pages from unlocked text file-2 (2)

my creation

More Hijinks of (Chief Deputy) #2

The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office staff continues to demonstrate a lack of ability to lead the agency. So often Haines has been motivated to prove he is correct in any chosen dispute. Haines has described himself as having an “issue” with having to be right in any argument. In fact, Haines gave a presentation during a training class that described his irrational behavior concerning having to be correct. In the class, he gave numerous examples that ranged from family vacations to holidays.

There was one fact that everyone could agree on after participating in training class. Haines was such a narcissist he believed that rationalizing his irrational behavior showed how tailored he was to his job and how people must adjust to him in order to have the chance stay at this job. He was so captivated with himself that he didn’t realize he had just proved he was every bit the ego maniac everyone has claimed he was. His belief is that his own erratic and self-absorbed behavior had become an asset to others historically and therefore was a virtue not a shortcoming. He will go into detail to members of the ECSO about his “virtue” and explain why everyone should appreciate it. He is willing to openly describe family events that would make him look transparent and human. The flaw in that logic is the assumption that his self-important narcissism is the presumption he is actually always right. His version of right must be universal in his own mind. Yet he cannot control the thinking of others. So, no matter how long he elaborates on how “right” he is, people may only acquiesce to shut him up, and never agree that he is truly right. More likely, he is only living in a delusion of “rightness” not the actuality of being always right.

Many of the horror stories from the ECSO begin with Haines and end with Haines. His career as a “law enforcement officer” is like comparing a Dr. Seuss to a cardiovascular surgeon. Haines has never completed a true investigation on any major crime. His law enforcement career consisted of going to school and being promoted. Unfortunately, he was not able to achieve much success as an officer. I say unfortunately, not because he wasn’t a good cop, some people just don’t have what it takes to effectively master the psychology of effectively doing the job. It is unfortunate because he must feel he has something to prove to all the people that have been good cops. It is possible Haines would have been different had he possessed the skills necessary to be a true LEO.

Haines tries to square his deficiencies by using power to bully people. This works some of the time. Haines recently asked for an opinion from the Attorney Generals Office. This is a process that is not uncommon. Often there will be a need for the AG to provide guidance to those navigating the law. I believe it would be unfair to criticize Haines for wanting an opinion before deciding on an issue. However, I would expect, if the AG is asked for an opinion, the issue would be extremely important. It would be an issue that would not be a waste of time for the office handling the request. This opinion would make the ECSO become more professional and provide better service to the citizens. Yet it is wrong to make that assumption, in this case.

Haines asked for an opinion concerning internal investigations. Haines wants an opinion that supports his belief to strip an employee of all 1^st amendment rights, while under investigation. He has refused to allow union representatives and attorneys to speak during an internal investigation. The statute is clear and leaves no room restrict a person not accused of a crime and not in custody. Haines, in true malicious fashion, seeks an AG opinion when he is finally faced with a situation, he can’t use bully tactics to win. It is a tremendous amount of effort for a case that involves an employee NOT accused of any crime.

The real reason for the effort is Haines is losing the argument. He is hoping for an opinion from the AG that no one can debate. He wants anything but a loss in the situation. He shows no shame in wasting the tax dollars for the time of actual leaders doing a job expected by the taxpayers. Haines has one goal. WIN THE ARGUMENT!

This pathetic individual and his abusive tactics are no secret to Morgan. Morgan is complicit in this as well. His refusal to stand for what is lawful is criminal. Morgan has allowed poor leadership to adversely impact the future of law enforcement in our county. The ECSO has had hundreds of officers and civilians leave or be terminated from employment in less than three years. Haines admitted that the agency is actually losing 4 times the state average in employee loss. One answer could be that the ECSO is just so unlucky that they get 4 times the derelict applicants than the rest of the state receives. But that doesn’t explain the loss of double to triple digit veteran employees either forced to leave or forced into retirement. When you have a Chief Deputy that has never made a case or investigated a major crime the problem should be clear. He initiates or causes internal investigations to initiate on deputies when in fact, he has never successfully completed a real investigation. Exactly as it has been said, Haines under the misdirection of Morgan, is the problem. Neither has obtained any level of respect in their law enforcement career. Both are egotistical and self-serving. Both want to show people they have the power. Morgan ruined every relationship with any other agency and Haines destroyed the morale within the agency. Unknown amounts of money wasted and unknown costs to the community in these two inept men who happen to be in leadership positions without being leaders.

The tide is changing, according to people in the department. Morgan is seeing he is only a sheriff who doesn’t get to make every decision on a whim. He has been halted in his steps for the first time. We could be witnessing Morgan losing his Mojo. Haines gets to work on his biggest case ever. A case that will do nothing to reduce crime. A case that has no victim or property loss. A case where there is no crime committed. A case that Haines must be proven right even if it destroys another life or family. A sacrifice Haines is willing to make for the sake of his ego.

One thing in life is always true. The sun doesn’t shine on the same dogs’ ass every day. Eric, you know your time is coming. The lies and deceit that you have been a part of will all be answered in time. You will soon be in a place you are for sure not familiar with…………. court. A level playing field void of the many shadows you have become so accustomed to hiding. Soon a place that you will not be able to fire the people that point out your hypocritical and destructive style you have fashioned. I look forward to seeing you there. I wouldn’t miss the show.

Source from Inside ECSO Speaks Again!

The most recent headline creates the Illusion that Sheriff Morgan has rid the ECSO of another rogue employee. The story has all the popular buzz words that would cause the reader to believe a dangerous “drug trafficker” has been removed from society. This criminal will not enjoy any benefit for being an employee of the ECSO and will suffer every penalty allowed by law. Sheriff Morgan has exposed her violation of law and emphasized his dedication to destroying the “good ole boy system” by offering her as a sacrifice to the citizens of our county.

For those not familiar with the hypocrisy of Sir David I’ll explain. It is entirely possible that the accused in this case has violated the law. She is not a favorite of any of the incompetent staff members at the agency. She is a very accomplished crime scene technician. She is the senior tech in that unit. She has been dedicated to her job and remained loyal for many years despite the low pay and lack of appreciation. She has attended training classes without fanfare or begging for the spotlight. She is a dependable employee with actual job-related skills. With all the attributes described, she should be held accountable if she betrayed the trust of the agency. If found guilty, she should be punished as would any person found guilty for this type of crime. The standard should be applied to all employees at the ECSO, I would think. The problem is, it is not how the agency operates.

Recently, there have been stories posted about other employees that were caught violating laws. Jessica Hackathorn was reported for committing insurance fraud. This is the same employee that initiated a complaint on an officer for having a step-child on the agency insurance plan after divorcing the mother of the child. The officer was placed on administrative leave and investigated for nearly a year. Evidence supporting that the officer committed no violation of law, was ignored. That exculpatory evidence included a court order stating the officer would pay child support and provide insurance. Any person would interpret this order, from a Circuit Court in this district, to be proof that a crime had not occurred. Somehow, that is not how Chief Eric Haines viewed it.

Chief Haines disagreed with the States Attorney’s Office that no charges should be filed. Haines has developed the reputation for being less than knowledgeable concerning law enforcement issues and having strong tendencies to avoid any display of honest behavior. If, in fact, he had truly believed a law violation had occurred Florida law allows him every opportunity to prepare an affidavit stating probable cause for the court to review. It would only be conjecture to speculate why he did not do this. One could assume his cowardly nature, fear of giving a statement under oath or just lack of intestinal fortitude, contributed to avoiding this option. What he did do is contact the Florida agency tasked with investigating insurance fraud cases. When informed there was not a fraud in this situation, by an official that investigates these crimes as a career, Chief Haines accused the official of misconduct by failing to file charges against the officer because of “professional courtesy, refusing to believe there was a possibility he was simply wrong. Fortunately, Haines failed to succeed with his bully tactics and the officer was able to return to duty. Haines did feed his demented appetite for abusing people he dislikes by causing the officer to serve a short suspension before returning to duty.

Currently, Hackathorn has found herself in a similar situation. She put a child of an ex-boyfriend on her insurance policy at the agency. She is not the mother of the child and has no legal custodial rights to the child. I applaud her desire to care for this child and would believe she is a decent person to extend her affection to the child. However, she gave misleading information to the insurance company when asking if she could add the child to her policy. It should be mentioned that she would be considered the fiduciary of the insurance plan offered at the ECSO. Add the fact that she considered herself expert enough to file a complaint on an officer for having a “non-qualified” individual on the plan. She considered herself expert enough to even argue against a judge’s court order. I believe it would be extremely unreasonable for her to claim she made an honest error. Facts support what she did was manipulate the law and process to give her an out. She knew the process well and is well-informed on the rules of the insurance plan. She is the gate-keeper for the agency plan. Her job is dedicated to informing all agency employees on rules and answering questions they may have concerning the plan. Within weeks of illegally adding the child to the plan the child had an insurance claim for glasses and braces. I am not saying this was planned but I am saying it is suspicious. All indication here is that she willfully committed a fraud. Maybe, Chief Haines could inform us what he found out after talking to the state about fraud. Surely, he put the same effort into this issue as he did the one he investigated involving the officer.

Then the issue concerning a gun inside a county building. Jamie Higdon was a mechanic working in the garage at the ECSO. He was in possession of a firearm, while at work. There is written documentation that proves he had permission to possess the firearm during certain work-related duties. The state law allows for this. Again, enter Haines with his less than stellar knowledge of the law. An investigation is ordered, and the results are a surprising. The investigation revealed exactly what Haines had stated as law violations. The problem is with this matter: Haines was wrong. One may ask how that could be. I’ll answer that. One explanation is that the person responsible for the investigation is as ignorant to the law as Chief Haines. This is entirely plausible, as it was one of the incompetent staff members of Sir David that completed the investigation. Another explanation is the investigation was corrupted by Haines. It is common knowledge that Haines never actually makes decisions that can be directly blamed on him personally. He uses internal investigations or another agency to do his dirty work. This gives him the opportunity to blame others and avoid being accountable himself. Either scenario supports the overwhelming opinion that the agency is corrupt and incompetent. Higdon ultimately leaves the agency. A superior employee lost to the poor leadership at the ECSO.

The comparable incident to this story involves Coleen Burt. She is a crime scene tech at the agency. She is often applauded for her stellar ability. Recently, Burt attended a training class and for her graduation, staff members went on a road trip to Tallahassee to celebrate. Never have I known of staff members attending an employee’s graduation ceremony out-of-town. Also, Burt works inside the main building at the ECSO. Her position is a civilian position. No civilian should be armed with a firearm in the area she reports to for work. This is an area defined specifically by state law as being an area that guns will not be in possession of civilians. Well, that isn’t the case for Burt. She mistakenly left her personal firearm in the bathroom while working. It is explicitly illegal for her to have been in possession of a firearm in the area and she carelessly left hers laying unattended for some period. The area is a secure area and often has members of the public in the area there for various business they may have at the ECSO. Had the wrong person found this gun before a responsible individual, what would happen? What if a child went into that bathroom and retrieved that weapon?

Let’s examine Burt. She has been involved in various “investigations” involving her propensity to be involved with individuals that are married or in some way relate to promiscuous behavior. Some jokingly comment her job title should be “Sex Scene Tech” and not Crime Scene tech, because there are more biologicals left by her than taken from a crime scene. This description is not “slut shaming” or being plain hateful. A public records request of investigations she has been involved in would support what is stated here, assuming Haines will, in fact release this information.

Here is a prediction. Hackathorn and Burt will never have to answer for the incidents described above. When their investigations are completed, no action will be taken. In fact, Hackathorn’s fraud related investigation is focused on the “leak” to Hunt insurance and not the lie/ fraud she committed. If the ECSO is called out, the defense will be the recent arrest of the employee in the headlines now. Morgan will use her as an example of just how honorable he is. He will say all employees are treated equal. You know now that he is a liar and that is not true. Do not allow him to do that when the time comes.

A REAL “ASK THE SHERIFF”

I got this letter in response to a Facebook post:

Jimmie,

Recently, you posted on Facebook to list crimes committed by Morgan or the ECSO. There were a few responses and I applaud those who can speak out. Had there been an actual chance of people being able to exercise free speech you would have had many more responses. Sir David does not allow the speaking of wrong doing if it could cause his image to be tarnished. Had everyone been able to speak freely you would have been told stories that demonstrates people who destroy others for their own good. Stories of inexperience and inept leadership would have been described. You would have been told of people who will judge and destroy others but refuse to be judged for flaws they possess.

It is not even difficult to point out how unfair the ECSO leadership has been and continues to be. Now, one could believe that because Morgan has not been held responsible and is not mindful that he too must follow laws. Another explanation, for such blatant disregard for law, is because of ignorance to knowing the law. I would guess that it is a combination of the two obvious reasons. Sir David is an ignorant and inexperienced sheriff that has not been held accountable for improper actions. He has created a “brand” that resembles the rise of the Backstreet Boys more than it shows a law enforcement leader taking charge of a community to protect the citizens. The crime in that is appalling. Sir David has wasted 100s of thousands of dollars branding his poor law enforcement performance and creating a belief that he actually knows what he is doing. Those who support this effort are rewarded with undeserving promotions and pay increases. That is a fact that could never be argued. Anyone in the job, that truly understands law enforcement, would say that the ECSO has two worthless Majors that never accomplished mediocrity as deputies. Our PIO should feel fortunate that she isn’t paid based on the length of her skirts. If that were the case she would have to mortgage her home to pay the ECSO to work there. Sir David demonstrated that he does not care about the employees or the citizens by carving out the budget dollars he has for three people to pay back political or other favors.

Maj. Andrew Hobbs is making over $35 an hour and does not even supervise 10 people. In fact he is responsible for 6 employees. Two of the employees of Maj. Hobbs are sworn officers. Both of the officers under his supervision have more experience and accomplishments, as law enforcement officers, than Hobbs. The remaining employees are civilian employees with the assigned task of making Morgan appear to be a knowledgeable sheriff. That is a job that should come with a substantial pay increase. It must be a daunting endeavor to make Morgan appear to be competent with the lack of verifiable experience he claims to have. Couple that fact with his laughable antics in the numerous press conferences he has participated in and accomplished only looking like a poorly executed SNL skit. One would pause to consider how he found that many individuals to take on that job or why they would want that job.

Amber Southard receives a salary that is over $2600 for an 80 hour work period. This is appalling when you consider her job consists of mainly the production of propaganda to boost the image of an incompetent sheriff. She is provided an agency vehicle and fuel for the vehicle. She works a day schedule and, unless she has an abundance of drama in her private life, is never shot at, or spit on and is relatively safe during her work hours. Now, compare that to a sworn officer that will be paid just over $1300.00 for the same 80 hour work period. In no way does that seem to be a decision that any competent sheriff would make. In fact, it appears to be just what it is. Morgan provides for those who further his agenda void of consideration of the ethical obligation he has as a sheriff of our county.

Sir David has several law suits against him for wrongful acts to employees. He has allowed and been involved in destroying others for fictitious reasons but allowed others to avoid accountability when proven wrong. Lt. Frank Forte is a great example of Morgan ignoring wrongdoing because of personal reasons. Lt. Forte was caught lying under oath in his official capacity. Morgan took no substantial action against a lieutenant when proved to be a liar under oath.

Lt. Forte made a complaint on Sgt. Philip Nix about a court appearance. Lt. Forte stated that Sgt. Nix was “blurting” out derogatory remarks about the ECSO writing illegal tickets during a traffic hearing. Sgt Nix appeared under subpoena and testified in the case. Lt. Forte stated that Sgt. Nix was making comments that were embarrassing to the agency. Col. Steve Hardy responded to the complaint by Lt. Forte. He made efforts to get transcripts of the court appearance but never located the transcripts. Lt. Forte then had an opportunity to testify in an Internal Investigation interview and say whatever he wanted about the conduct of Sgt. Nix. Lt Forte continued to lie and embellish the story about court. Lt. Forte made an attempt to completely tarnish the reputation of Sgt. Nix. After reading the statement of Lt. Forte that was given to Internal Affairs one would conclude Sgt. Nix was an out of control maniac in court.

Apparently, Sgt. Nix was aware of the unethical conduct of Morgan and his posse. Sgt. Nix had paid for a transcript of the court hearing. Sgt. Nix did not provide the information to the ECSO and allowed the situation to take its course. The professional court transcript proved that Lt. Frank Forte was a liar. None of the accusations made about Sgt. Nix were true and Sgt. Nix had conducted himself as a professional would. I use this example because Nix is one of the only people who is not afraid of the backlash of using his real name.

Morgan took no action on Lt. Forte. The fact Lt. Forte is a liar was ignored…..for now. There will be point in time that Lt. Forte will have to explain his reason for ignoring the obligation that an officer takes to always be truthful and honest. Morgan will get the chance to explain all of the wrongs he has committed and many of those following his lead will enjoy that journey as well. I hope that they understand a Grand Jury is not as tolerant of liars and cheats as the Morgan administration is and what they are due will be paid.

In another incident, with an employee at the ECSO, an investigation by internal affairs finds reason to sustain or sanction policy violations for obeying the law. Most of you will read that sentence twice. It is true. An employee became a target of the ECSO administration and the rules, policies and laws were twisted until it was reconciled in their twisted minds the employee could be fired. The violation consisted of cooperation with an attorney during a deposition. The attorney was party against the ECSO so that would never be tolerated. Again, a career destroyed.

This matter will also be settled through a lawsuit. Morgan will distribute more taxpayer dollars to pay for the wrong he committed. More waste because of a staff that lacks the courage to tell Sir David he is wrong. It could be they are too selfish to take a chance on ruining their gravy train to stand for what is right. Many of those in a position of power in the ECSO staff is concerned that their “yes man” mentality did not prepare them for the job they have with Morgan or they don’t want to be exposed for the indiscretions committed in the past. Either reason creates a setting that forces them to vacate their principles always seeking Morgan’s approval first. There is no cost too high to pay for the approval of Morgan. If you follow the rules set by Sir David you will be rewarded with favors that have benefits some in his staff could never enjoy if based on their proven ability.

I would be remiss in my description of the ECSO if I were to leave Eric Haines out of this discussion. There is no rational reason that this imposter made his way to Chief Deputy. He has pretended to be something he is not his entire career. I regard to his advancement at the ECSO it could not be argued that he was successful in padding his retirement. Had our retirement system required that an employee actually demonstrate law enforcement ability during his career he would be on food stamps at the time he retires. Haines advanced his career pointing at the other person and pretending to be far more intelligent than he actually is. His bully personality is effective when you are in control of someone’s career. However, his actions have proven time and again that he has no conscious or consideration for any misery he causes. He appears to be the guy that is getting even with the world because he somehow feels life dealt him a losing hand. I can agree that he has numerous reasons to be pissed at life. Most people would consider themselves in hell if they were forced to be Haines. Haines does not have the right to continue to harm and destroy an entire agency and the employees who suffer from his foul display of a failed attempt to prove him a leader. He is not a leader and will never have the respect he is in search of because respect does not come from a title. Respect is earned slowly by those who make an observation of a person. They observe a person who is able to demonstrate needed ability to accomplish success in the area they are leading. Haines has never been successful at being a law enforcement offer and therefore will never gain any measurable amount of respect from true law enforcement officers.

All roads in this equation lead to Morgan. His fairy tales about law enforcement accomplishments and experience have proven to be laughable. It is easy to target him for silly “dress up like a big boy” uniforms and senseless remarks made in a desperate attempt to make it into the media cycle again. Then it comes to mind that this leadership has caused so much misery to those that encounter him with an opposing opinion. Worse there are lives that have been lost that effective leadership could have saved possibly. It is not that laughable when you actually take the time to evaluate who David Morgan really is in this situation. He is a failed sheriff that has hidden from the responsibility of that office. The citizens are suffering and they are unable to see the cause because the tax dollars they pay are being spent by Morgan to create an illusion all is well.

It is a shame that “Ask the Sheriff “isn’t a real thing. If it ever is I have questions. David, why did you leave the Air Force? Did you really pay for that cross thingy? Do you see the harm you have caused? Do you care about the lives you have ruined or caused to be lost? Do you lie in bed at night regretting the horrible things you have done to people? Do you really trust those you have surrounding you? You caused them to cut and run when you offered a better deal. Imagine what will happen when you are not the best deal anymore. .

Sincerely,

No Longer a Victim

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Voice from inside ECSO

Again the Escambia County Sheriffs Office was recently in the news. Again, it is not there for the right reasons. Again an officer is in the spotlight for an act that was destructive—what boils down to a domestic violence incident. Again the administration tries to disassociate themselves from the deputy as fast as they can.

I am not going to discuss the officer or the issue that made the news because that isn’t what I’m here to address. The thing to address is the administration response and part within this story. It is a terrible situation and none of us know the specific details. We know that it is obvious the deputy was in a psychological place that none of us would ever want to find ourselves to be. Emotional agony is difficult and all of us have had a time that has caused us to feel depressed and temporarily desperate. Not everyone makes the mistake that we know he made. Or could it be that some have just never been pushed past the point that they can control their actions?

Our agency has had many years of experience leave in the past 7 years. We have lost officers that possessed the ability to apply logic and common sense to everyday situations. It is often difficult to understand what is legal and illegal if compared to what is right and wrong. Just because a person does something that could be worded in a report as illegal doesn’t make it right to take law enforcement action. There are many times a person could be arrested because it could be articulated that a law was violated. There is more to making an arrest than that or there should be. An officer should evaluate the full scope of the situation. What are they actually seeing? Then they have the discretion to decide if an arrest is warranted, possibly a warning issued, or maybe even just a moment of human understanding, where the deputy uses common sense or compassion to not make an arrest. Deputies should first learn to use that tool before slamming down the rule of law. Balancing law enforcement with the overall good is a balancing act. We are given the discretion that allows for compassion and consideration that should be applied to a human being in a human situation. It keeps an officer from viewing individuals as simple numbers on a list. Understanding discretion means that an officer sees a person first and starts at that point to do the job that has been tasked.

Many of the officers I work with now believe the action they take is not ever a part of the equation. They simplify the matter by rationalizing that it was not any fault of their own that a person was arrested. It is the job of cops to arrest people when they violate the law. That is true to some extent. However, our first responsibility is to help people. If an arrest is being made so an officer has the numbers at the end of the month to impress our administration, then maybe not. Maybe the administration should understand that some of our best work could never be gauged by statistics measuring how many arrests we make.

Taking the time to talk to a child that interrupts you having lunch, is not measured at the end of the month. Stopping to help a person that is stranded on the side of the road is a good thing. Taking an extra minute to walk around the homeowner’s house because they were scared of a noise is reasonable. Explaining why we do take people to jail is understandable if a person wants to know. All of these acts are expected of an officer, in my opinion. None of these acts get any credit when totaling up our monthly statistics. They are not factored into any officer evaluation.

I say all of that to make a point. I am not attacking the officers doing the job. I am not attacking the way they do the job. They are doing the job the way our administration expects them to do the job. It has been said many times that our leaders have not ever been real cops. Here is the proof. Any law enforcement leader that believes an officer’s worth is based on the total number of arrests made each month, is not a leader. In fact, it is more important to keep citizens from violating the law. It is much more difficult to turn a life around than it is to drive them to jail. The problem is it takes much more effort to help a person in a struggle with life than arrest them for a mistake that was made. Officers will have the chance to make more than enough arrests in their career. They should just understand that an arrest is made for a reason more than making statistics. That is where the lack of law enforcement in the ranks plays a factor. There is no encouragement to use personal judgment to evaluate the situation before making an arrest. The administration sees the world in black and white, but we all know that is not the case.

My point was recently made clear in a post that was made on Facebook. A comment was made concerning the deputy recently in the news. The poster stated that he felt the administration could have done more to stop the deputy from going too far. I do not know if that is true. It is very possible that the officer reached that point and it could not have been detected even with the best of administrations in place. Who can say? We have the administration we have and it is far from accomplished. It can be said that the issue, I believe, exists with the agency was displayed in the response from our very own Chief Eric Haines.

True to form Haines responds to the post asking several rhetorical questions that the poster could not possibly answer.

Here is his post from Facebook and Escambia Citizen’s Watch page:

Eric Haines: Tim Dorsey — the expert in law enforcement administration. Enlighten us Tim. What’s your background? What resources are offered to officers having problems? Is there random drug testing? Would it have caught this? Do you even know who this deputy is? How long they’ve worked there? What is their work history? What did they do at the ECSO? What do they pay Facebook LEO experts these days? You’re a piece of work. Please share your wisdom with law enforcement administrators everywhere as to how to ensure officers won’t make terrible life decisions.

I’d like to respond to Eric directly:

Eric,

I am a cop with more than a decade of experience than you. I have worked patrol, investigations, narcotics and a couple of office jobs at the ECSO. During my career, I have told parents that their children were dead and children that their parents were dead. I have witnessed suicides and murders. I have seen children that were raped. I have seen people who have died from gunshot wounds to the head, face, back, chest, stomach, and other places if you care for me to continue. I have seen people in car crashes that were killed. Sometimes I was lucky enough to get there and hold their hand before they died so they didn’t have to feel alone when they died. I wish I could have helped them all out from the mangled cars but it just wasn’t always possible. If I continue with my background, I’ll add I became a cop because I think cops are decent people and I like to help people. I really didn’t realize I wouldn’t get to help more than I have. I thought it would be much easier than it turned out to be actually.

Going in order of your questions, you ask about resources. I feel more than sure the poster could never answer this question. I said at the start I have been here a decade longer than you and I have no idea. I am aware of the place we go when required after a shooting or something that it is mandatory to visit. It was always my belief that we went there to reduce agency liability. I have been for my share of visits at that place and with the contract doctor. I believe that unless I was actively murdering a person at the time I was in his office, he would not notice if there were any serious mental concerns. Why should he? He is a busy guy and has dozens of court ordered pedophiles to see after me. I guess you couldn’t expect more than that from the lowest bidder.

Then you ask probably the most ignorant of your questions. Random drug testing? That wouldn’t have caught anything in this situation. The deputy does not have a drug issue. Maybe you were just spouting off because you knew the poster wouldn’t respond because you were at an advantage in this exchange.

The next several question I will answer all at once. I have known him for over 25 years. He is a great guy. He was a respected officer and he had a ton of knowledge when it came to being a cop. He has proven himself as a cop on so many occasions I couldn’t count. He has done nothing in his life but be a cop. He is a man I am proud to know and proud to have worked with for many years. Find a single person to say half the things I just said about that man when describing you ………..and mean it without laughing.

I don’t believe there is any pay for being an “LEO expert” on Facebook. I do believe that it is possible to fake being one at the ECSO and get paid over $100k a year. You already know that because you have had that position for a bit now. You are the only Chief Deputy in history that screwed it up so bad that they hired a second one to come in and run things. I just don’t get why they kept you around.

The most telling of all of your post and how you have molested our agency is in you last line. The wisdom I would want to share is simple. Treat people like they matter. Don’t pretend you know when you don’t. Realize that it is people who are hired to fill those positions and not machines that can be programmed. Understand most that it is about choices. The choices you make on how to treat people included. That man didn’t make a “life choice”; he was emotionally weak at this point in his life. He was broken down mentally from many things I am sure. Issues that will never bother you in your life may have got to him. You will never be in that situation or feel what he feels. You believe that it is because you are so much better but that isn’t true. You will never have those feeling because you were never a cop. This is the wisdom I can pass on. Don’t ever be a good cop and you will never have to think of all the horrible things you seen being a good cop. Your mind will stay fresh and ready to judge others for something you never could do.

My point is that we have people without the good sense God gave a goat that are making evaluations of people and affecting lives through their scope of ignorance. Having LEO’s that live in a community is a must because they understand the community. Yet the ones we have don’t have the life experience to make the better choices and are not ever going to get the training from a simulator that prepares them for real life situations. When cops are slaves to arrest numbers, innocent people go to jail. When cops are under extreme pressure without the support of the brotherhood—the agency—there is no telling how that will manifest. It’s a pressure cooker situation at that point and people get shocked because cops—human beings—snap. It happens in all occupations but in this administration, at this time; it is more prominent than it has ever been. There is no sense of belonging within the agency that builds teams and support. Deputies are pitted against each other to keep them isolated and less likely to question poor leadership decisions. But this isolation from other officers may end up being the death of that cop. How can the leadership justify that?

It Doesn’t Get Any Better than this!

You know when you have someone tell you something emphatically, but then turns around and does just what they emphatically told you they WOULD NOT do, well you just have to relish your good fortune or laugh like hell at the irony.

No more commentary. I will let the facts tell themselves.

Setting:

“Rumors” around the ECSO were that the Perdido satellite precinct office would be closed. Also Chip Simmons was hired to work as Chief Deputy. People had to assume the current Chief Deputy was going to be replaced.

November 23, 2016: WEAR3.com

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**Chief Deputy Haines did not move; however his job was diminished and he will give up half his responsibilities.

ANY QUESTIONS ???

I Hate to Say “I Told You”….

Since late 2015, I postulated that Mark Smith of the Manning Sex Case would “walk” away from these crimes. On Thursday last week, that theory was proven true. I have been distressed to come up with a post in response to this crazy ass decision. The way this case played out was more odious than I could have never perceived the events as they manifested. Not only did this degenerate “walk”, but he was found “not guilty”. He can NEVER be held accountable for the crimes known to have been committed against Brittany Cutting or Kaitlyn and Kayla Rogers. How could that be possible? Ask Sir David. He is the puppeteer of this tragedy.

I can hear people saying, under their breathe, that I blame Sir David for the rain. If only that were so. It would be easier to dismiss me and this post by saying I am on a crusade against what I perceive is the Devil himself. Regrettably the Devil himself could not evoke the despondency Sheriff Morgan has in the heart of girls whose only sin was the family they were born into.

I cannot make a more compelling case for the imprisonment of Mark Smith. I have put document after document out there that support the predatory nature of this man’s heart. I’ve asked the question as to how he got a badge to begin with. He was discharged from the US Navy due to a “Personality Disorder”. He explains he was young and threatened suicide. However, being familiar with military protocol, I know you don’t get out of your obligation to serve that easily. For this reason for discharge, there must have been evidence to justify that Smith was a LIABILITY to the service.

Furthermore, a fellow cop who has 15 years experience in criminal investigations was persuaded to investigate a colleague. Not only that but he convinced a judge, who most certainly was apprehensive in issuing the search warrant, to find cause to effectively shred the credibility of deputy. For this case to be so compelling as to have an investigator come forward on his own as well as a judiciary who finds legal sufficiency to go after a law enforcement officer is HUGE.

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To question the judgment of the arresting officer, Zack Ward is question all cases in his 15 years of service at the Sheriff’s office, including the Billings Case. If the evidence Inv. Ward found was not legally sufficient in the eyes of the jury, how could it have been sufficient for the State Attorney? The question here is who dropped the ball.In a press conference BEFORE THE MANNINGS WERE ARRESTED, Morgan says:

We received some information downloaded from computer systems involving this case,” said Morgan. “We have over 100,000 images that have to be reviewed in addition to videotapes. As you can well imagine what a labor-intensive process that’s going to be for us to go through all of that material.”

This means there were images from Smith, Thomas and/or the victims. Yet in a Facebook conversation 10/4/15 with Eric Haines, Chief Deputy of the ECSO, he says:

I unloaded on him including attacking his religiosity. But the point is clear, Morgan says there were videos and images

but NOW Haines says, there aren’t any videos and pictures. No video or picture evidence was presented to the jury.

What happened to them?

I’ve asked the question as to how he got a badge to begin with. He was discharged from the US Navy due to a “Personality Disorder”. He explains he was young and threatened suicide. However, being familiar with military protocol, I know you don’t get out of your obligation to serve that easily. For this reason for discharge, there must have been evidence to justify that Smith was a LIABILITY to the service.

IN ADDITION, lest we forget my post from over a year ago:

Erin Ambrose is the starting point because the entirety of the story seemingly circles back to her. She is also the person in this story with the most influence and has the greatest obligation to do the right thing. Her job title and ethical responsibility is higher than the rest and her part in this story is the most egregious. This is not an isolated incident for the State Attorney’s office. They have been more concerned with covering things up rather than pursuing justice. This is case merely epitomizes what happens on a day to day basis under Bill Eddins and his cronies.

Ms. Ambrose, Assistant State Attorney for the First Judicial Circuit, is engaged to a deputy by the name of Jason Young (Jason Von Ansbach Young).

Jason is probably the least culpable of the bunch. While he is an adult and a law enforcement officer, which, in and of itself, carries responsibility for serving and protecting the public, he is not an active participant in endangering children; he is, however, complicit.

Jason’s brother and soon-to-be best man in his wedding in January is Ryan Von Ansbach Young, an ex-deputy who is married to Mindy Von Ansbach Young, a current Lieutenant at the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.

The Von Ansbach Youngs have foster children as well as their own children. Ryan Von Ansbach Young posted bail for his wife’s colleague, Mark Smith on 3/09/2015. This act which had to be known by the Sheriff’s Office due to the hand in hand relationships they have with bail bondsmen. If they did not know, it is because they did not want to know. Having a deputy, Ryan’s wife, suborning the release of a child sex offender, by extension, shows complicity of the entire organization for which she and her family represent. This is also the caveat that Ms. Ambrose falls prey to.

It is telling that this impropriety and the ability to connect this sort of deviant, sex offender with the people who are supposed to police and cage these monsters. Cozying up with them off the clock shows how little regard they have for the humanity they are supposed to be protecting. Of course, this gives a bad message to all that have knowledge of it. Of course, it de-legitimizes the entire criminal justice system in Pensacola, because cronyism trumps proper handling of criminal cases. This is the downfall of the entire community.

The malfeasance is that with all these children in their home, the Von Ansbach Youngs, all current or prior law enforcement professionals, allow a sex offender into their home. They allow said offender to come and go freely with children in the home.

The sex offender, who should not have contact with children is Mark Smith, an ex-Senior Deputy of the Escambia Sheriff’s Office. He is awaiting adjudication currently for multiple counts of sexual battery/rape of children over 16 and under 21, which has been minimized through the State Attorney’s office. Most counts being reduced to misdemeanors, even though there is video evidence of his impropriety as well accounts of sexual misconduct against others that the Sheriff’s dept. refused to acknowledge (See my post “Where’s Gavin?“)

Coming full circle back to Erin Ambrose, who is SUPPOSED to be an advocate of the children molested, battered and raped by Walter Thomas and of course Mark Smith, who were both Escambia County Deputies at the time of the offenses.

The most malicious of the acts in the fact that not only is Ms. Ambrose violating her position as Assistant State Attorney by being involved personally with a case she is prosecuting but she is closely entangled in this family that neglects their moral and ethical duties as servants of the county and officers of the court to protect children against exposure to child sex predators. She knows what happens in this close knit family that she is about to become apart of and is aware of Smith’s consistent presence in the home as well as his “access” to the children. That is a conflict of nature that corrupts the entire justice process.

The girls victimized by these sexual predators are not being protected by the system. The system is more interested in covering its as. In addition to this situation, regarding this same case, Sheriff David Morgan effectively endowed Gulf Coast Kids House with $50K for a new wing AFTER he personally became aware of the abuse of his deputies on children. This was a stop-gap measure to preemptively control the reaction of the Gulf Coast Kids House when the story inevitably became public. These two organizations colluded to sweep this incident under the rug with Gulf Coast Kids House turning a blind eye to the additional victims that may have been affected by the deputies that Sheriff Morgan failed to investigate.

This is the price of silence in Escambia County.

With my head bowed, I say “I was right”.

The boundaries of victimization is overwhelming & this check shows you how justice is bought & paid for in Escambia County.

Morgan Running Scared-Rightly So

So yesterday afternoon a press release came out from State Attorney’s office that Chief Deputy Haines violating election laws.

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The kicker of this is that they admit that this small infraction that it is worthy of the Elections Committee but does not rise to any criminal level. However, think back to Greg Fink last year.

This same infraction was pursued to its fullest–to a jury trial for a misdemeanor.

Thankfully a judge with common sense withheld adjudication in this matter after a jury found Fink guilty. Here is an article from PanhandlePolitico.com from June 22, 2016

Adjudication withheld for Panhandle Politico publisher on omitting political flyer disclaimer

Escambia News

by Deborah Nelson

The judge declined to convict Panhandle Politico publisher Greg Fink despite the six member jury’s guilty recommendation, at a June 17 trial, of failing to include an electioneering disclaimer on political material mailed during the 2014 primary election.

The disclaimer is required to detail who approved and paid for the message.

Electioneering communications are defined as material that may not necessarily directly ask voters to select a particular candidate, but have been mailed close to an election. In this case, the applicable timeframe was within 30 days of the primary election.

First Circuit Court Judge Joyce Williams sentenced Fink to $500, with adjudication withheld.

The double standard press release came on precipice of Rally 2016 on WSRE–the Sheriff’s closed debate. I have not seen the debate yet but I am told Morgan did not fare well. There were sources that claim after the debate ended Morgan took his microphone off abruptly, threw it down and left in haste.

To support this, just a few minutes ago, the last debate before the election scheduled for next week, was cancelled. The official reason was that there was not enough interest. However, the timing of the cancellation, the lack of coverage on Morgan’s Facebook and lack of coverage by any news outlet under Morgan’s “influence”, an educated person might speculate that Sir David put the kabbash on the last debate.

The multiple State Attorney investigations into wrong-doing on Sheriff Morgan’s behalf has been bad press–albeit not in the mainstream press. There is a great deal of chatter on social media that seems to indicate the Morgan re-election is not going well. This latest series of events appear to be pushing Sheriff Morgan over the edge. He has trouble with composure when he gets angry and of course, anything that threatens his public persona makes him angry. That seems to be a better explanation for the cancellation of this final debate.

Veteran Deputy’s Plea to Escambia County

I have written several times to you about the miserable state of our agency. I have voiced concern about officer safety, corruption, and the dismantling of our agency. Each time I attempt to describe our situation I am always hopeful that people will see how serious the matter is and make a stand. Often, I am left with the feeling it is just our problem and those outside the agency will not care until the adversity, we, as officers, live in everyday, impacts their life. I hope that isn’t true. The impact of poor leadership that I predict is coming will cause great heartbreak for any that become victim to it. This is not getting a car door opened that was not locked. We are not talking about having some change stolen from the console of your car. I am attempting to emphasize that you will have none of the protection you have enjoyed from your only law enforcement agency. There is only one ECSO. If you call 911 and the ECSO isn’t there that call goes unanswered. You will be on your own.

How many people are truly prepared to handle the burglar that is breaking into your home while you sleep? I try to give examples to support my position each time I send you a thought. Today is an example of what poor leadership looks like at its best. This email was sent today by our Chief Deputy. This email is not a joke. This is not fabricated or edited in any way. This is an actual peek into the daily life that officers live each day.

This is an actual email that was produced by the Chief Deputy of the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. The day after another officer falls in the line of duty by the hands of evil who hate cops. After incidents that prove cops are being hunted like animals the Chief Deputy has laser focus on how best to play Pokémon Go at work. How can this be real? I would bet that if you were to examine your local McDonalds email you would not find where a manager has instructed teenage workers how best to preserve work areas while playing a game designed for a child. Now, consider that you are in a leader in a career where your employees are being hunted for killing. How do you even have thoughts about a child’s game that would preempt searching for information or training to ensure that you didn’t lose a life of an employee? Then imagine you not just a leader of the group being hunted and murdered but you are being paid over $110,00.00 a year to be that leader. It is a sad day when this behavior is allowed and these people are allowed to decide the fate of so many lives.

Instead of Pokémon Go, I wish our Chief Deputy would have the same dedication to law enforcement and the monsters on the street. The monsters you “capture” in that game won’t ever kill you, Eric. What will kill you (and by you, I mean the hard working cops in the street) are the real monsters that are being allowed to roam our streets while Princess 1 and Princess 2 get to play pretend cops and robbers while you organize your best plan of attack to catch a cartoon monster on your phone. There is nothing about this that is humorous or cute. Play pretend all you want, because the truth is you can’t be touched……yet.

I hope that we can see you gone before you and the fiction you live as reality causes us to see one of our own fall because of ignorance and inability. I stay hopeful but maybe you could keep enough battery life on your phone so you don’t miss the call if it happens. I know how important catching those menacing Poke monsters can be but I am sure King David will want a press release to put the spin on how he cares about everyone. Hell, you could even blame the Poke monsters. It couldn’t be worse than blaming witches for a murder because we had a moon one night. Just so you know, not a single soul I am aware of believes you are anything less than a complete moron. You just do not have the right to call yourself a leader of any law enforcement agency.

Double-back Justice

In a not-so surprising move, Greg Marcille issued a press release Friday that after investigating Morgan’s LET Fund mockery, the SAO found “no criminal violations” found. However in a letter attached to the press release, there is indication that the protocol requiring agencies to account for the money they receive, specifically that it meets the standard to justify the statutory mandates of this particular fund, has not been followed. This is funny because there is precedent that such special trust monies spent without the proper follow-up by the agencies, such as this case, were made to pay back the money. The state has not been lenient on this in the past, but seems to be ok with throwing away $1m without recovery nor punishment for not fulfilling the elected officials obligations to the community that they serve. I say throwing away because, if that money isn’t going to help train officers, buy equipment or provide for safe neighborhoods (ie the gala held by the Pensacola Opera), then another facet of the county budget must use those funds, which are taxpayers’ money to fulfill that void–or not as the case may be, leaving the community in the ranks of the highest crime within the state.

But looking past that insane judgment lapse, I’d like to take you through Friday before this press release came out.

Text message from deputy @2:45pm:

statewide grand jury with Morgan being biggest offender of LET violation. Governors office involved…… SAO told Haines today that wrong doing was found. Gov office is expected to order statewide audit of all funds. Eric looks like he died when I seen him.

I then messaged James Scaminaci of CJ’s Street Report to ask him if he could call the SAO to verify this info. In the past, I have been given the run around by the SAO; I figured he had more pull than I did. This was @3:17pm.

He replied @3:20pm:

I heard from a source today that something big was coming but did not link it to sao. Though he asked me about sao.

James called SAO and left message for Marcille @3:25pm. His message to me :

Marcille just left for a meeting about this very subject of grand jury investigating morgan. Spoke to his secty

Source forwarded me via email @3:32pm, the folllowing press release

Confused, I texted the deputy who contacted me and asked him if he was sure about what he told me.

Absolutely! Haines is still barricaded in his office. Not good news. Morgan is out of town. Just told he was talking to an attorney in Orlando on an issue the Sheriff’s Assn wasn’t covering.

Taking into account the totality of the events and the fact the ECSO admin was not relieved when the press release was issued, nor did they make some grandstand to say they were in the clear, I believe the SAO may have something else up their sleeve.

Stay tuned….Morgan and the BOCC are not out of the woods yet.

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With my head bowed, I say “I was right”.

The boundaries of victimization is overwhelming & this check shows you how justice is bought & paid for in Escambia County.

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Adjudication withheld for Panhandle Politico publisher on omitting political flyer disclaimer

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