# My First RO : Deputy Dumps Paraplegic **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 12, 2008, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-ro-deputy-dumps-paraplegic/437348 "2008-02-12T21:56:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2008, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-ro-deputy-dumps-paraplegic/437348/21 "2008-02-12T23:58:14Z")
[Here’s a text version with more detail.](http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/feb/12/deputy-suspended-after-dumping-man-wheelchair/) I still can’t quite wrap my head around it. This whole story is just bizarre, but apparently the Sheriff is freely acknowledging that they fucked up big time, and will make things right. I can’t imagine how, short of a boatload of M-O-N-E-Y. One of the more bizarre aspects : He spent five days in jail waiting to post a $2,000 bond. WTF? Is he without friends? [According to this article](http://www.sptimes.com/2008/02/12/Hillsborough/Deputy_dumped_man_fro.shtml) > [@](#): > > he 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. So he seems like a stand-up responsible citizen kind of guy. How can it take five days to bail him out? ---
**Author:** ![Drain\_Bead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47774/32.png) [@Drain\_Bead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drain_Bead)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2008, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-ro-deputy-dumps-paraplegic/437348/22 "2008-02-13T00:42:43Z")
I have had plenty of clients who stayed in jail until their first court date on that amount of bond. Even $224 (the ten percent plus costs) is a whole lot when you’re poor. That guy is probably getting SSDI income of about $700 a month. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2008, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-ro-deputy-dumps-paraplegic/437348/23 "2008-02-13T00:52:11Z")
[QUOTE=Drain Bead] I have had plenty of clients who stayed in jail until their first court date on that amount of bond. Even $224 (the ten percent plus costs) is a whole lot when you’re poor. That guy is probably getting SSDI income of about $700 a month. [/QUOTE] I’m sure you are right. I’m poor as a church mouse myself, and a bit of a misanthropic hermit type. Still, I could find someone to front me $200 to keep me out of jail for five days. Or $300. What per cent does a bondsman want these days? ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2008, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-ro-deputy-dumps-paraplegic/437348/24 "2008-02-13T01:12:47Z")
Hope she gets sent to prison for a significant period. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2008, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-ro-deputy-dumps-paraplegic/437348/25 "2008-02-13T01:26:07Z")
You mean, like with REALLY severe cramps? I couldn’t begin to imagine how they’d go about arranging that… ---
**Author:** ![Zabali\_Clawbane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ecd19e/32.png) [@Zabali\_Clawbane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zabali_Clawbane)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2008, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-ro-deputy-dumps-paraplegic/437348/26 "2008-02-13T01:51:11Z")
I hope that deputy gets serious jail time! **What she did broke two of the guy’s ribs** , apparently. There is a mention of “Because I can’t feel from _indicates with hands at nipple level_ here down, I didn’t know they (the two ribs) were broken.” :mad: I hope the prosecutors see that video and decide to press charges! ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2008, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-ro-deputy-dumps-paraplegic/437348/27 "2008-02-13T02:04:54Z")
[QUOTE=Muffin] Hope she gets sent to prison for a significant period. [/QUOTE] Or if it’s for less than a year she can spend in the same jail she worked at. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![NurseCarmen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2008, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-ro-deputy-dumps-paraplegic/437348/28 "2008-02-13T02:15:58Z")
Maybe the reason nobody would get him outta jail and he got dumped is that he’s an ass. Who knows. But I think the deputy probably watched Trading Places the night before, where Eddie Murphy pretends he has no legs. Those silly disabled folks. They are always faking it. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2008, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-ro-deputy-dumps-paraplegic/437348/29 "2008-02-13T02:29:12Z")
Looks like assault to me. If I dumped sombody out a wheel chair, I would lose more than my job. ---
**Author:** ![Zabali\_Clawbane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ecd19e/32.png) [@Zabali\_Clawbane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zabali_Clawbane)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2008, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-ro-deputy-dumps-paraplegic/437348/30 "2008-02-13T02:49:16Z")
[QUOTE=NurseCarmen] \*\*Maybe the reason nobody would get him outta jail and he got dumped is that he’s an ass. \*\* \ [/QUOTE] :eek: Er, hello? What an assinine sentiment! Violence is _NEVER_ an acceptable answer to jerkishness/rudeness! (And that action was violent enough to break ribs, so in my mind that is the best catagory to put that action into.) Glad you will never be my nurse! :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Zabali\_Clawbane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ecd19e/32.png) [@Zabali\_Clawbane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zabali_Clawbane)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2008, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-ro-deputy-dumps-paraplegic/437348/31 "2008-02-13T11:35:23Z")
Ok, I stand somewhat corrected. [The ribs were not cracked](http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/feb/12/deputy-suspended-after-dumping-man-wheelchair/?news-metro), _merely_ brusied. [They very well will be facing felony charges](http://www.tampabays10.com/news/local/article.aspx?s=rss&storyid=73864), and 4 have been suspended over this. Those other people in the video were SUPERVISORS, who reported _NOTHING_! :mad: :mad: :mad: ---
**Author:** ![howye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9adbd/32.png) [@howye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/howye)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2008, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-ro-deputy-dumps-paraplegic/437348/32 "2008-02-13T13:45:34Z")
The CBS Early Show did a segment on this, and another incident where a woman was sexually assaulted was treated as though she had committed the crime and forcibly stripped searched. [http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/02/13/national/main3824544.shtml](http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/02/13/national/main3824544.shtml) Both incidents are sickening abuses of power. ---
**Author:** ![flodnak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/838e76/32.png) [@flodnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flodnak)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2008, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-ro-deputy-dumps-paraplegic/437348/33 "2008-02-13T14:40:26Z")
[QUOTE=RickJay] While being interview in the video, he uses his arm and hand to describe where his paralysis begins. He clearly uses his arms in the police video, too. [/QUOTE] Yes, but if you watch, he can move his arms, but his hands are at best clumsy. That’s typical of someone with a spinal injury that is at the bottom range of quadraplegia. About the dog: that might indeed be a service animal. Many service dog users don’t put the harness/vest on when they’re exercising or playing with the animal - at that point the dog is more pet than assistant. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2008, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-ro-deputy-dumps-paraplegic/437348/34 "2008-02-13T15:20:55Z")
[QUOTE=Contrapuntal] I’m sure you are right. I’m poor as a church mouse myself, and a bit of a misanthropic hermit type. Still, I could find someone to front me $200 to keep me out of jail for five days. Or $300. What per cent does a bondsman want these days? [/QUOTE] Yep the guy is faking and likes to go to jail. Wasting his wealth on his health probably. People living in wheelchairs often have a limited circle of friends. ---
**Author:** ![wring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@wring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wring)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2008, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-ro-deputy-dumps-paraplegic/437348/35 "2008-02-13T15:47:57Z")
[QUOTE=Jodi] The deputy has been “relieved of duty.” If there’s any justice, he (she? hard to tell) will be summarily fired. ETA: “She,” apparently. That fucking bitch should have her arms and legs tied together and be dumped out on the floor a few times with her pants down around her knees, see how she likes it. I hope he sues her and the department for a heap of money. [/QUOTE] You just **know** you fucked up big time when a lawyer type like **Jodi** is advocating for a big lawsuit. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![you\_with\_the\_face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ecccb3/32.png) [@you\_with\_the\_face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/you_with_the_face)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2008, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-ro-deputy-dumps-paraplegic/437348/36 "2008-02-13T15:53:37Z")
Yeah, that was fucked up. Saw the clip at the gym today. ---
**Author:** ![flight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbce88/32.png) [@flight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flight)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2008, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-ro-deputy-dumps-paraplegic/437348/37 "2008-02-13T16:04:08Z")
[QUOTE=Boyo Jim] I don’t get how the news agency got a copy of the tape, and showed it to the cops, who claimed it was the first they knew of it. I would have thought the victim get a copy of the tape, probably with legal assistance, in pursuit of a complaint or a lawsuit. Surely the filing of a complaint or a lawsuit would trigger some kind of investigation. And the news reporter says nothing about a complaint or lawsuit having been filed. Are the police in the habit of making copies of their own surveillance tapes on demand, without reviewing what they’re handing out. I seriously doubt it. I’m thinking (hoping) the victim must have an anonymous ally among the cops – maybe someone who saw the incident, found out there would be nothing done, and passed the story to the news. Very strange. [/QUOTE] Could have been an anonymous whistle blower at the station. ---
**Author:** ![Kevbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e47774/32.png) [@Kevbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kevbo)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2008, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-ro-deputy-dumps-paraplegic/437348/38 "2008-02-13T16:26:24Z")
I’ve had the joy of being held in custody twice. I have nothing nice to say about 90% of the people who worked at these facilities. Seeing the sort they routinely deal with, I can understand why…It didn’t seem to matter that I was as polite as possible, and generally behaving myself. A number of them I would discribe as sadistic. They would fuck with you just because they could, and would taunt hoping to provoke retaliation that could be punished. In each case, though, there was ONE individual who treated me as a fellow human being. That would probably be who blew the whistle on this gross abuse. ---
**Author:** ![Jodi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7feea3/32.png) [@Jodi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jodi)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2008, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-ro-deputy-dumps-paraplegic/437348/39 "2008-02-13T16:42:24Z")
[QUOTE=wring] You just **know** you fucked up big time when a lawyer type like **Jodi** is advocating for a big lawsuit. :eek: [/QUOTE] Pretty much true. I work with law enforcement for a living and I almost always at least start by assuming there are two sides to any story in which facist pig law enforcers are alleged to have done something completely heinous. And as a defense lawyer I’m no fan of lawsuits, of which I think we have too many with far too little cause, especially filed against public employees. But contrary to popular belief, I did not sell my soul for my law degree, nor have I been asked to abdicate common decency to do my job. All of which is a long-winded way of saying: I can’t see any possible defense for just dumping a quadrapalegic out of his wheelchair, and no way to deny that that is precisely what occurred, given that it’s on tape in living color. I can’t even construe it as a “teaching opportunity” – of which there are many! – because, sweet cracker sandwich, we shouldn’t having to teach officers not to dump people out of wheelchairs! I hope she’s fired, arrested, sued, and smacked upside the head. I hope her supervisors are suspended and smacked upside the head. Completely inexcusable. ---
**Author:** ![Jodi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7feea3/32.png) [@Jodi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jodi)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2008, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-ro-deputy-dumps-paraplegic/437348/40 "2008-02-13T16:58:07Z")
BTW, does anyone know how I could obtain a copy of the video? I don’t mean any of the news stories, just the video they’re showing. All I can figure out is to e-mail a web link to myself, but I’d like the video itself to save to my computer. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-ro-deputy-dumps-paraplegic/437348.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-ro-deputy-dumps-paraplegic/437348.md?page=3)