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Pinellas Deputy's Death Probably A Suicide

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TBO.com

Published: November 29, 2007

Updated: 11/29/2007 02:53 pm

A Pinellas County sheriff's deputy has died of a gunshot wound that authorities think was self-inflicted.

Deputy Clouster Bryant II, 43, was found just after 5 p.m. Wednesday at Wall Springs Park, 3725 De Soto Boulevard, Palm Harbor.

Several witnesses reported hearing what they thought was a gunshot, detectives said. Deputies found Bryant in a wooded area behind Shelter No. 4 with what appeared to be a gunshot wound to the head.

Bryant, a 16-year veteran of the sheriff's office, was assigned to the civil unit. He was off duty when the shooting occurred.

The Clearwater native is survived by his parents and two children, Lauren, 17, and Marcus, 2.

His father described him as a "super young man" who liked fishing and pretty cars. He said he was unaware his son was upset.

"He's the only son I've got, so I can't talk no more," Clouster Bryant said.

An autopsy was planned and an investigation was under way, the sheriff's office said.

Bryant's personnel file, made available this afternoon, shows mostly positive comments from supervisors and Pinellas County residents.

The supervisor during his most recent evaluation, Keith W. Somers, wrote in June that Bryant completed his assignments in a thorough and timely manner and kept an orderly work area.

However, Somers wrote, Bryant "continues to max out his comp time and vacation time putting his supervisors in an un-workable situation."

Bryant's personnel file also mentions a 1995 suspension for payroll irregularities.

In 1995, Bryant was suspended for five days without pay for making false entries on overtime slips while working as a school resource officer at Kennedy Middle School in Clearwater. He asked for overtime pay for time spent working off-duty special assignments at the school, deputies said at the time.

At the school, Bryant worked to help troubled youth, started a Students Against Drunk Driving chapter and spent off-duty hours in the DARE Plus program, an evaluation shows. He also coached football at Clearwater Central Catholic High School.

A 1996 evaluation states that Bryant was a "conscientious deputy who exercised poor judgment and is attempting to rectify that by maintaining a low profile and doing a good job."

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