TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Police: Officer Had To Handcuff Deputy

ADVERTISEMENT

By MICHAEL A. SCARCELLA / Sarasota Herald-Tribune

Published: September 23, 2007

CORTEZ - An off-duty Manatee County sheriff's deputy was held at gunpoint and handcuffed by a police officer investigating a disturbance between two deputies who had been speeding through this coastal village, police reports show.

A Bradenton Beach Police Department officer said in a report that an armed sheriff's deputy had threatened another deputy Tuesday evening.

Officers knew the disturbance involved two sheriff's deputies driving recklessly, according to the report. One vehicle, a witness said, was following the other.

Deputy Brandon A. Gard, 23, had his gun in his right hand when Bradenton Beach Officer James F. Gill pulled up in the 4500 block of 119th Street West. The report did not say why Gard was carrying a gun.

Gill ordered Gard to drop his weapon, and the deputy complied. Gard identified himself as a sheriff's deputy and showed his badge. Gard was ordered to lie facedown on the ground. The gun was not loaded.

Police said the other sheriff's deputy, Tiffany K. Graves, was reaching for her purse. Gill said he demanded several times that Graves, 42, keep her hands clear from the purse. It was unknown from the report whether Graves was carrying a weapon.

Thomas A. Ferrera, a Bradenton Beach police officer, said in a report that Graves appeared confused. She was taken for a mental health evaluation.

Gard and Graves were separated. A sheriff's deputy put Gard in handcuffs and walked him away. He was not charged with a crime.

Sheriff's administrators declined to comment on the incident, citing an ongoing internal affairs investigation.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT