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Lunsford Won't Sue Sheriff's Office

Tribune photo by THOMAS W. KRAUSE

At a news conference today, Citrus Co. Sheriff Jeff Dawsy announces that Mark Lunsford, left, has dropped plans to sue the sheriff's office.

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By THOMAS W.  KRAUSE | The Tampa Tribune

Published: March 28, 2008

Updated: 03/28/2008 06:01 pm

INVERNESS -- Only the fewest of people knew that Mark Lunsford and Citrus County Sheriff Jeff Dawsy had agreed to meet this morning.

The media didn't know; the press liaisons at the sheriff's office didn't know; not even Lunsford's attorneys knew the details.

"I'll tell them tomorrow," Lunsford joked at a late afternoon news conference to discuss the meeting. "They can't fire me."

After the three-hour meeting with the sheriff, held at the Homosassa trailer home that Lunsford shares with his parents, Lunsford agreed to withdraw his intent to sue the sheriff's office.

In February, Lunsford's attorneys sent the notice, saying that mistakes were made in the investigation into the 2005 disappearance of Lunsford's 9-year-old daughter, Jessica Marie "Jessie" Lunsford. Jessie, later, was found dead. Her killer, John Evander Couey, has been sentenced to execution.

Over the past several weeks, relations between Lunsford and Dawsy have been strained. Attorneys on both sides tried to work out deals, all of which seemed to self destruct. As recently as this afternoon, Lunsford's attorneys said they were trying to work out their next move.

Dawsy said he got a phone call from Lunsford on Thursday, asking him to sit down with no lawyers and no strings attached.

"I jumped at that opportunity," Dawsy said.

The two declined to get specific about their conversation, only saying they have agreed to get together with officials at the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. They want to work for enhanced training of law enforcement agencies across the country so they are better prepared to handle missing child situations.

Several times in the past week, Lunsford's attorneys have said Lunsford wanted the sheriff to acknowledge that mistakes were made in the Jessie investigation.

Today, Lunsford said that he told the sheriff on the phone he would not ask for an apology and the sheriff did not have to acknowledge any mistakes. This afternoon, Lunsford said all his questions were answered at their meeting.

Dawsy said the two spoke about the first 48 hours of the investigation. They discussed why the command center was placed where it was and why investigators conducted certain interviews the way they did.

Lunsford's attorneys had said previously that the command center, placed between Lunsford's home and Couey's home, blocked the path of the tracking dogs. The attorneys also criticized the sheriff for misleading Lunsford, telling him that evidence implicated his father in Jessie's disappearance.

Lunsford attorney Eric "Rick" Block said he has to make sure Jessie's mother is OK with the deal since her name was on the letter of intent as well, but added that he was glad an agreement was reached.

Lunsford said he sought the meeting with Dawsy because rumors about why he filed the intent to sue notice created a "circus."

He said he had always been mistakenly under the impression that Dawsy was unwilling to answer his questions.

"You don't really get your answers in the beginning," Lunsford said. "You forget to ask because you're mourning."

Dawsy said he learned an important lesson that he hopes to teach other agencies. After such a dramatic investigation, law enforcement officers need to set aside two hours to sit down with the victim's family and explain why they did what they did during the investigation.

When Lunsford threatened to sue, many in the Citrus County community were confused about his intentions. Before Couey's murder trial, Lunsford had called Dawsy a brother.

Perhaps the most vocal among Lunsford's critics was radio jock Bubba the Love Sponge Clem. Lunsford's attorneys sent him letters telling him to stop his rants.

On March 20, all sides seemed close to an amicable solution.

Lunsford attorney Block sat in on a live broadcast of Clem's radio show. Block said that if the sheriff would admit to investigative mistakes, he would agree to withdraw the letter that threatened a lawsuit. Lunsford, Block said, wanted to sit down with the sheriff to discuss policy changes that could help protect missing children. No lawyers would be at that meeting, Block said.

The deal was brokered by Clem's attorney. For Clem's part of the deal, he agreed to cease all criticism of Lunsford if the meeting with the sheriff went off as planned.

On Wednesday, discussions grew heated. The sheriff said he agreed to meet with Lunsford – but only if Lunsford first would negate the intent-to-sue notice.

Block said he was unwilling to do that and accused the sheriff of trying to paint Lunsford into a corner. He told the sheriff to meet with Lunsford at Block's Jacksonville law office at 1 p.m. today.
Dawsy declined.

In a letter to Block on Thursday, sheriff's attorney Richard Wesch wrote that the sheriff would be willing to meet with Lunsford if he withdraws his intent-to-sue notice.

Wesch said he understood that a meeting between the sheriff and Lunsford would include officials with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and officials with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement – but no lawyers.

Meeting at the Jacksonville law office, Wesch wrote, "appears to be contrary to this intent."

While the two sides sparred, Clem said he had no intention of keeping his end of the bargain if the other parties did not fall in line.

After news of Lunsford and Dawsy's meeting broke, Clem said he was very happy with the result.

Asked if he would uphold his end of the bargain and quit criticizing Lunsford, he said "Absolutely."

Reporter Thomas W. Krause can be reached at (813) 259-7698 or tkrause@tampatrib.com.

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