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Fired Deputy, Hillsborough Sheriff Sued Over DUI Arrest

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By TOM BRENNAN | The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 12, 2009

TAMPA - A Lithia man who claims he was unjustly arrested for drunk driving in 2006 has sued the deputy who charged him, Sheriff David Gee and the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.

Robert Reed, 44, claims former Deputy Daniel Eugene Brock verbally accosted him, falsely arrested him and later defrauded his insurance company.

Brock was the county's top deputy for DUI arrests until he was fired in May 2007. A Florida Department of Law Enforcement review exonerated him of falsifying DUI arrest records, but an internal investigation found he ignored sheriff's office procedures for making arrests and for turning in DUI reports.

According to the lawsuit filed Wednesday in Hillsborough County Circuit Court, Gee and the sheriff's office knew or should have known of Brock's improper conduct and should have fired him before he ticketed Reed.

Sheriff's spokeswoman Debbie Carter said the department doesn't comment on pending litigation.

On Feb. 11, 2006, Reed was attempting to turn right onto Lithia-Pinecrest Road when Brock, who was behind him, became impatient and unlawfully passed on the right to make a similar turn, the lawsuit states.

Reed's vehicle struck Brock's cruiser when he attempted to make his turn, causing $564 in damage.

Reed contends Brock became verbally abusive. When another deputy arrived, the lawsuit states, Brock claimed he smelled alcohol coming from Reed's vehicle even though he was several feet away and it was raining heavily.

Reed refused to take a blood test and was arrested. He pleaded guilty to reckless driving and was fined and ordered to pay court costs totaling $524.

In the interim, controversy began to swirl around Brock as news reports claimed dozens of people may have been wrongly jailed. His record became the subject of official investigations after he charged a reserve deputy who publicly complained.

Brock called his firing unfair and said he was a scapegoat for prosecutors and the victim of a personal grudge by investigators.

Between October 2005 and October 2006, Brock made 313 driving-under-the-influence arrests. Of those, he did not record a video about 40 percent of the time.

In 58 arrests the suspect's blood-alcohol content was lower than the level at which state law assumes impairment, the internal investigation found.

A county judge allowed Reed to withdraw his plea in May and the state attorney's office declined further prosecution in the case.

The lawsuit claims Brock told deputies investigating the accident that there were no injuries but later filed a claim against Reed's insurance that was settled for $750.

Reed is seeking damages of more than $15,000.

Reporter Tom Brennan can be reached at (813) 259-7698 or tbrennan@tampatrib.com.

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