TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

St. Pete Officers Disciplined For Towing Tribute To Teen

A picture of Javon Dawson taken from his MySpace page.

ADVERTISEMENT

By RAY REYES | The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 21, 2008

Updated: 08/21/2008 11:59 pm

Two St. Petersburg police officers allowed personal feelings about the fatal shooting of Javon Dawson to influence their decision to tow a parked truck displaying posters of the teen, authorities said Thursday.

A disciplinary board found Officer Courtney Zak violated six department rules and suspended her for 20 days without pay, St. Petersburg police spokesman Bill Proffitt said. Officer George Lofton was suspended for seven days without pay. The suspensions start today, Proffitt said.

Zak saw a box truck parked on private property at Fourth Avenue South and 34th Street about 2:48 p.m. June 17, according to a police memorandum released Thursday. A makeshift memorial for Dawson, the truck was covered with posters of Dawson and had the letters "R.I.P." written on the windshield.

The 17-year-old was fatally shot June 7 by St. Petersburg police Officer Terrence Nemeth outside of a high school graduation party. A report released Aug. 13 by Pinellas-Pasco State Attorney Bernie McCabe cleared Nemeth of wrongdoing, citing witness and forensic evidence proving Dawson was armed.

Community activists, including members of the International People's Democratic Uhuru Movement, dispute McCabe's findings. Uhuru leaders are asking for an independent review board to investigate Dawson's shooting.

Uhuru leader Omali Yeshitela said Thursday night that he feels the police acted on their opinions, not only in the tow truck incident but in the shooting of Dawson.

"I would contend that the ability to take that poster down, take the pictures down, off that truck by the cops acting on their own is not inconsistent with the act that happened June 7 when Javon Dawson was shot down by another cop," Yeshitela said.

According to the police memorandum:

Zak ran the vehicle identification number of the truck to check if it was stolen. It was not, but no records were found for its owner. After Zak asked a local business owner who owned the lot where the truck was parked, she called a towing company.

Lofton and probationary Officer Jason Harris arrived, and they helped Zak and the tow truck driver remove the posters because of the "sensitive nature" of the signs. Harris was acting under orders from Lofton to help with taking the posters down.

After the truck was towed, Zak and Lofton told supervisors the vehicle was a "community hazard." When questioned by internal affairs investigators, however, the officers said they had talked to their co-workers about the meaning of the posters.

During his disciplinary hearing, Lofton said the posters "disturbed him." He said his intent was to remove the truck because he did not agree with the posters' message. Zak, too, told the disciplinary panel that her actions were motivated by personal feelings about the posters.

Zak and Lofton violated department rules, including allowing personal feelings to influence official conduct and removing the truck from private property without authority to do so. Zak also violated a rule prohibiting officers from making false official reports or give false and fictitious information during investigations or inquiries.

Reporter Ray Reyes can be reached at (813) 259-7920 or rreyes@tampatrib.com.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT