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Judge Won't Put Deputy Back To Work

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By GEOFF FOX and TODD LESKANIC

gfox@tampatrib.com tleskanic@tampatrib.com

Published: March 5, 2009

NEW PORT RICHEY - A judge has ruled against a former Pasco County sheriff's deputy who claimed he was improperly fired from the agency.

Edward Tucker, 30, was fired in January after an internal investigation found that he had falsified documents, failed to take suitable actions and failed to properly carry out duties.

A 10-year department veteran, Tucker knew he was the subject of an internal affairs investigation, but he said a meeting outside his home on Jan. 26 was the first he heard of any proposed discipline.

In a hearing last month, his attorney, Kerry O'Connor, said the agency's failure to inform Tucker of possible disciplinary action was a violation of law.

Sheriff's office attorneys argued that the department followed protocol in investigating and firing Tucker, but Circuit Judge Stanley Mills agreed with O'Connor's contention. On Wednesday, however, Mills denied an injunction that would have put Tucker back to work.

An internal investigation of Tucker began in May after detectives noticed peculiar patterns in his work. Investigators found that he had documented incorrect times when handling civil process calls. In other cases, he claimed to be on a call when he was actually hanging out at a west Pasco cafe or elsewhere, according to reports.

When asked about the discrepancies, Tucker said he was a poor record-keeper. He said taking breaks during his shifts sometimes distracted him from properly reporting his whereabouts.

Sheriff's spokesman Kevin Doll said Tucker can still challenge his dismissal at a March 17 hearing before the sheriff's Career Service Appeal Board. In 2006, two fired deputies got their jobs back after one of them met with the board.
Detention Deputy Christopher Wolschon was fired from his post at the Land O' Lakes jail in January 2006 after an internal affairs investigation determined he used unnecessary force with an inmate and later lied about it.

Deputy Richard Stanger was fired in February 2006 when the agency's internal affairs investigators found he lied about Wolschon's case. He will start back at the jail July 10.

Wolschon won his appeal in a two-day hearing before the appeal board. Because of the ruling, Sheriff Bob White also decided to reinstate Stanger.

In April 2007, Wolschon resigned from the agency. At the time, he was on administrative leave after he and his father were arrested in a road-rage incident on Starkey Boulevard.

Reporter Lisa A. Davis contributed to this story. Todd Leskanic can be reached at (727) 815-1084. Reporter Geoff Fox can be reached at (813) 779-4613.

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