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Man Says He Was Abused By Detention Deputy

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By JOSH POLTILOVE

The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 13, 2008

Updated: 06/13/2008 07:07 pm

TAMPA - Audie Grogg says a Hillsborough County detention deputy abused him while he was an inmate early this year, and his attorney filed a notice this week saying Grogg intends to sue.

Jail video shows Grogg swung a crutch in the direction of a deputy and that the deputy took him to the ground immediately afterward.

Grogg's attorney, Virlyn B. Moore, said the crutch never made contact with the deputy. Grogg was initially charged with battery on a law enforcement officer, but that charge was dropped, Assistant State Attorney Pam Bondi said.

Sgt. Dan Tewmey of the sheriff's office internal affairs department said he was not aware of any investigation conducted on the deputy in the jail video.

Grogg, 52, had been in jail on a charge of carrying a concealed firearm, Moore said.

Grogg was carrying a flare gun and it was not concealed, Bondi said.

The arrest report stated that detectives clearly saw the flare gun, she said.

Hillsborough sheriff's Col. David Parrish declined to comment on the incident, saying he couldn't because of Grogg's intent to sue.

Parrish said he saw video of the incident months ago.

"We'd have taken some action if we thought there was any issue," Parrish said, "so we'll see him in court."

The sheriff's office has six months to respond to Moore's intent to sue.

The nature and extent of injures Grogg suffered from the incident haven't been determined, Moore said. He said his client suffered physical injuries as well as neurological problems.

"They just knocked the tar out of him," Moore said.

Grogg said he didn't strike the deputy prior to the incident but that he did tell the deputy, "The devil is going to like you."

That's when the deputy retaliated, Grogg said.

"This is the United States of America, and you can't be punished for the attitudes that you have or the feelings that you have," Moore said.

In February, surveillance video was released showing quadriplegic inmate Brian Sterner being dumped from a wheelchair by a detention deputy who was trying to search him.

The video made national news, and word of other peoples' claims of mistreatment behind bars in Hillsborough County surfaced.

An independent review commission, created in February and charged with studying the policies, practices and procedures at the county's two jails, is expected to release a final report Sept. 1.

The Hillsborough County internal affairs employee who wasn't aware of a sheriff's office investigation into former inmate Audie Grogg was misidentified in an earlier version of this story.

Reporter Ray Reyes contributed to this report. Reporter Josh Poltilove can be reached at (813) 259-7691 or jpoltilove@tampatrib .com.

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