TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

3 Tampa Officers Retire, 1 Fired During Internal Investigation

News Channel 8 file photo

Three veteran Tampa police officers have retired while under investigation and a fourth remains under investigation.

ADVERTISEMENT

By JOSH POLTILOVE | The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 18, 2008

Updated: 12/18/2008 05:08 pm

Four Tampa police officers consistently billed the department for hours they didn't work, according to an internal affairs investigation.

Three veteran officers retired while under investigation for violation of agency policy. The fourth has been fired.

Police used various methods to track the officers while they were on duty, including GPS devices, Assistant Chief Bob Guidara said. Investigators reviewed detectives' timecards, gas mileage receipts and surveillance records from the Criminal Intelligence Bureau.

The 22-week investigation concluded today.

The now-retired officers are Detectives David Rochelle, Donna Noblitt and Vince Bush. Rochelle had been with the agency 29 years and specialized in hit-and-run cases. Noblitt had been with the department 24 years and specialized in sex crimes. Bush had been with the force 22 years and specialized in economic crimes.

Bush declined to comment. Rochelle and Noblitt could not be reached for comment.

Detective Theresa Dennis, who has been with the department about nine years, was fired. She specialized in hit-and-run cases.

It was alleged that the four officers failed to work the scheduled hours on their timecards and failed to perform their duties, according to the investigation

Guidara said 40 detectives were investigated and only four were found to be consistently not working proper hours.

"These detectives were capable, talented and brought to the table many years of experience, which will be missed," he said.

But, Guidara said, the investigation was necessary. He said investigators moved swiftly after recognizing the problem. The four people no longer with the department ultimately will be replaced, he said.

"We're confident that we identified the abusers and that we dealt with it," he said. "We don't believe that the problem is any deeper. … We don't think that this activity permeates the soul of this department."

No further investigation is warranted at this point, he said.

Detectives Weren't At Desks

From April through May, it was noted on several occasions that several detectives were not at their desks after 4 p.m., an investigative report states. A review was conducted, and it was determined that Rochelle, Nesbitt, Bush and Dennis had a pattern of leaving headquarters "early in the afternoon prior to finishing their assigned tour of duty or else arrived to work after their scheduled reporting time."

During the investigation, police determined Rochelle left work early 80 times during the 88 days reviewed. A total of 154.5 logged work hours could not be verified. Surveillance showed Rochelle left work early and went home.

Bush, meanwhile, left work early 89 days in a 91-day timeframe. About 84 logged hours could not be verified. Surveillance showed Bush left work early and went home.

Noblitt left work early on 48 days in a 61-day review period. About 71.4 logged hours could not be verified. Surveillance showed she left work early and went home or to off-duty jobs. The investigation found nothing to support she was paid by the city and another entity at the same time.

Dennis left work early on 68 of 71 workdays. A total of 122.8 logged work hours could not be verified. Surveillance showed she left work early and went home.

Rochelle, Bush and Noblitt failed to show up for their scheduled internal affairs interviews, according to the report.

Dennis said she left work early a couple days a week and that her supervisors had not given her permission to do so, the report states. She told investigators she violated department rules and apologized.

The State Attorney's Office determined the standard of proof needed to file criminal charges after the investigation was lacking.

This inquiry is similar to one last year where a burglary detective, Evonski Lennear, repeatedly engaged in personal business on city time: shopping; visiting relatives, her church, and her hairdresser; and searching for houses her investment friends could flip, records show. Lennear was found in neglect of duty and insubordinate and was demoted to a master patrol officer, records show.

Police spokeswoman Laura McElroy said Lennear had not been fired because she had worked late into the evening and on weekends without authorization to make up for hours wasted; she had not failed to work a 40-hour week.

Retired Officers Will Get Pensions

The personnel files of Rochelle, Noblitt and Bush indicate they were respected, dependable officers.
Bush and Rochelle, who each retired Nov. 5, earned $83,970 a year. Noblitt, who retired Oct. 30, earned $80,434 a year.

The three retired officers will receive their pensions.

Rochelle will receive $55,634 a year for life plus yearly cost of living increases, said Pat Lynch, chairman of the Tampa Fire and Police Pension Fund. Because of his deferred retirement option plan, Rochelle also will receive a one-time lump sum that could be as high as $225,535.

Noblitt will receive $44,645 a year for life plus cost of living increases. Through the deferred retirement option plan, she also will receive up to $167,417.

Bush will receive $52,865 a year for life plus cost of living increases. Through the deferred retirement option plan, he also will receive $61,675.

Dennis was not vested and won't receive a pension. She had not been with the department for 10 years, Lynch said. She will receive the $19,000 she had contributed toward her pension.

According to Rochelle's MySpace page, he is a 51-year-old Valrico resident whose heroes are "any man or woman who has served this country in any branch of service, … and John Wayne of course." His page states he was one year from retirement.

Officer Disciplined Before

Though an April 2008 evaluation states he "is a seasoned detective that will always do what is required to get the job done," he has been disciplined before.

While on duty from August through November 1987, he attended 30 college classes for personal reasons, according to his personnel file. He was suspended for one day, though a note in the file states he was to forfeit 10.5 hours of annual leave in lieu of suspension.

"Corporal Rochelle's disciplinary record reflects that he has received a total of three letters of counseling," an April 1988 letter from Lt. R.D. Hall states. "The latest was for failing to document an investigation (May 1987). He received another in January 1986 for Neglect of Duty because he was watching television in his patrol car. The oldest letter of counseling dealt with the escape of his prisoner. All three incidents indicate that to varying degrees Corporal Rochelle was less responsive to his responsibilities than is acceptable or tolerable."

Regarding the college courses, Rochelle told investigators at the time that his sergeant should have known or did in fact know what he was doing, according to the personnel file. His sergeant then was Randall Noblitt, who is married to Donna Noblitt.

Bush, 48, doesn't have similar black marks in his personnel file.

In 2004, Bush received a $50,000 settlement from Tarpon Springs regarding his wrongful arrest the previous year. A routine background check in April 2003 discovered a misdemeanor retail-theft warrant for Bush, accusing him of struggling with a Tarpon Springs convenience store clerk over a stolen can of beer more than a year earlier. Prosecutors dropped the charge two days later when a security tape showed the man involved was not Bush.

At the time, Bush called the settlement petty compared with the embarrassment he experienced. He said he had lent his 1994 Jeep Cherokee to an acquaintance, who tussled with the clerk. Tarpon Springs police found him by tracing the license tag, he said.

According to a March 2008 evaluation, Bush "gives each case his all, whether it is a million dollar embezzlement, or a case on a much smaller scale. He shows compassion for the victims of the economic crimes he investigates and shows them that he cares about the outcome of their cases."

Donna Noblitt, 50, also has positive marks on her evaluations.

According to an October 2007 evaluation, she investigates adult sex offenses and "is well versed in the
policies and procedures that govern her work activities, and utilizes all the resources available to her to investigate her cases.

Dennis, 36, earned $70,369 a year.

According to an October 2007 evaluation, she was good at prioritizing cases and keeping up with a large workload, and she was able to act quickly and decisively when facing complex cases.

Reporters Valerie Kalfrin and D'Ann White contributed to this report. Josh Poltilove can be reached at (813) 259-7691 or jpoltilove@tampatrib.com.

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT