Fla. Cops Drop Man From Wheelchair

Deputies Suspended After Video Of Quadriplegic Man Being Tipped Onto Floor Is Released

(CBS/AP)  Four Hillsborough County sheriff's deputies have been suspended after purposely tipping a quadriplegic man out of his wheelchair at a jail, authorities said Tuesday.

Orient Road Jail surveillance footage from Jan. 29 shows veteran deputy Charlette Marshall-Jones, 44, dumping Brian Sterner out of his wheelchair and searching him on the floor after he was brought in on a warrant after a traffic violation.

Sterner, 32, said when he was taken into a booking room and told to stand up, Jones grew agitated when he told her that he could not.

"She was irked that I wasn't complying to what she was telling me to do," he told The Tampa Tribune. "It didn't register with her that she was asking me to do something I can't do."

"When I saw that one deputy laugh, that's when I started to boil."

Sterner has been in a wheelchair for 14 years after breaking his neck in a teenage wrestling match, reports CBS News'The Early Show.

The Hillsborough sheriff's office says that they weren't aware of the incident until the tape was released by the media.

Jones has been suspended without pay, and Sgt. Gary Hinson, 51, Cpl. Steven Dickey, 45 and Cpl. Decondra Williams, 36 have also been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation, sheriff's spokeswoman Debbie Carter said.

A woman who answered Jones' telephone said Jones was unavailable. A message left at a telephone number listed for a Steven Dickey in Tampa was not immediately returned Tuesday night. Listings for Hinson and Williams could not be located.

"The actions are indefensible at every level," Chief Deputy Jose Docobo said. "Based on what I saw, anything short of dismissal would be inappropriate."

"That none of the supervisors acted upon what they saw is of great concern," Docobo said. "This is not the norm at the sheriff's office."

He said the officers' actions were an aberration.

But accusations of physical abuse at the hands of police officers, often caught on videotape, are not uncommon.

In Canton, Ohio, a woman claims that that police wrongfully strip searched her.

Hope Steffey had called 911 because she said she'd been the victim of an assault but when police responded, a series of arguments and miscommunications led police to arrest her, reports The Early Show.

They later videotaped her being undressed by male and female officers while pleading with them to stop. She says when all of her clothing was removed, she was then left in a cell for six hours.

The Stark County sheriff denies Steffey's allegations.

As for Sterner, he was arrested at his Riverview home and taken to the jail Jan. 29 on a charge of fleeing and attempting to elude a police officer, according to records. He posted $2,000 bond and was released Feb 3.

A warrant for Sterner's arrest was issued after an Oct. 25 incident, in which Tampa police stopped him in Ybor City. He was stopped while driving a Mini Cooper that had been fitted with hand pedals and was cited for blocking an intersection.

"My client was stopped that night and was given a traffic citation, so how could he be fleeing and eluding?" Sterner's lawyer John Trevena said. "We're very skeptical about the basis for the charge itself."

Trevena said he hopes authorities investigate the deputies for criminal charges. He said he was "mortified" when he watched the footage.

"I couldn't believe that a detention deputy would be so callous toward an individual, whether they were disabled or not," he said.

Sterner says he wants justice.

"I want a lot of exposure to what's probably been going on for a long time."

[nfgaa]

Here we go again. The cops are not properly trained when they mishandle a situation. Yet a review board will find that he behaved appropriately.
Why isn''t this arrogant thug in jail for Assault and battery?

[bshizzle73]

NOT TRAINED????? Training has NOTHING to do with what this malicious cop did to that guy. Very simply put; cops are far to used to getting away with getting away with a kick in the teeth here and a batton to the knee cap there but this was simply caught on tape. The tape was somehow leaked out by someone with a comcious in that department nd now America is horrified by it. Do you really tjink that was the firs time these cops have played judghe and jury in the hall of the station??? I still cant believe they are not all fired yet.

[ghigli41]

I love how ignorant people are in this world. It disgust me how for some people it''s really funny that they can humiliate people that have a dissability. For the police force, they apparently need some courses in respect and humanity.
These people don''t deserve to have a job, they shouldn''t be allowed to interact with anybody.

[woodydx]

I honestly believe that all 4 officers have an equal responsibility in the treatment of this Man. Ms. Jones should not be the only one ostracised for her act. She had supervision standy by laughing at the incident. I think all 4 officers should be discharged immediately and the case should be forwarded to the DA''s office for criminal prosecution. These officers that take an oath to uphold the laws need to heed the phrase "No man is above the Law" They each need to see the inside of a jail cell for about 365 days and fined heavily for their actions!

[woodydx]

Here is the $64k question: Where is the Rev. Al Sharpton to be found when a white handicapped person is abused by 2 black Sheriff deputies? Why isn''t he crying foul on behalf of this man. His civil rights were certainly abused more than that scam artist Tawana Brawley . He is definitely a onesided crusader of civil rights and that''s why he is not taken seriously! Come on Al....jump on this mans band wagon and protect his human and civil rights. Do something GOOD for a change!

[emily23303]

I am writing this blog to advocate for people with disabilities. I am a college student who is soon going to be teaching children with disabilities.

I am ashamed to say that the justice system in America is not trained, or is simply ignorant to training, in dealing with people with disabilities.
After seeing the video connected to this article it makes me feel as if all the work that people have done, fighting for rights for people with disabilities, is all down the drain. The action that the cop took was degrading--not to mention 100% unnecessary. The cop should be fired without question and the police department should be sued!!
..As for the cop who thought the whole situation was soo hilarious, he should be fired too.

My class, Educational Aspects of Physical Disabilities, is appauled by this video. We will be watching the story unfold closely and hopefully this story will be covered by the news in its entirety so we can hear about the outcome.

[zootallures2]

You wanted sadism.... you got it. You thought it was going to stay in Iraq? Like you say "What goes around comes around."

[zootallures2]

zootallures2: Read the article. He''''s been in a wheelchair for 14 years. It should be obvious that he has no leg muscles to speak of.

Posted by incog-nito at 11:37 PM : Feb 13, 2008

The whole US and A has been in one for 7 years now over a false flag operation ...

I wonder how many posters here are home all day on compaensation for carple tunnel syndrom...LOL!

You all made yourselves untrustable and unbelievable. It''s not just one group or one person, it''s almost all of you. It''s the police, it''s Bush... yea, sure. The whole place is nuts.

[jerkeedoodle]

Did anyone else read the story about the moose that feel on the squad car under "Strange"? I found out the moose was injured,so they took him to the Hospital.After they got him patched up,they took him down to the station.When he wouldn''t respond to their questions,they tasered him,and beat him with his own crutch!............;).LOL!

[watcher269-2009]

Justice the Republican Way! I bet they Anal probed him too!

[jerkeedoodle]

zootallures2,Pull yer head outa Dynamo Hums'' asss,and read the story.If you keep taking things for granted,yer gonna "Wind up workin'' in a gas station,wind up workin'' in a gas station,pumpin'' the gas every night,pumpin'' the gas every night! Jam down the road,you bum ba bum bum!

[michellem99-2009]

That man is a sp needs adult. I am a sp needs person. I must abide by laws. So must them bully cops. Ye want to read for me medwolf..I take it ye a sighted asre.

[akitapenny]

IT IS A SAD SIGHT TO SEE THIS VIDEO EVERYTHING WE DO GOOD AND BAD IS BEING WRITTEN IN THE BIG BOOK OFFICER JONES HAS ALOT OF SOUL SEARCHING TO DO AND SO DO ALL THE INDIVIDUALS WHO TRIED TO COVER THIS INJUSTICE UP. THANKS TO TECHNOLOGY THEY WERE UNABLE AND THANKS TO THE MEDIA. GOD BLESS AMERICA AND GOD BLESS MR STERNER I PRAY FOR YOUR GOOD HEALTH.

[ontheleft]

Wal-mart''s always hiring. Not sure if they''ll take them though since one of the job requirements of Wal-mart is good people skills.

[cbsblogger]

There needs to be a serious lesson learned here and that is "protect and defend/serve" by law enforcement doesn''t mean upending wheel chairs and dumping quadriplegics on the floor.

The deputy that dumped him is obviously guilty. She needs fired with loss of all pension and benefits. Then she needs tried criminally for assault. It should also be investigated if a potential hate crime was committed, just as it would if the victim had been black and the deputy white.

Her peers and supervisor need merely fired for incompetence and dereliction of duty for not reporting the illegal actions of the first deputy.

[poopusbuttus]

The cop is done. It''s over. No more debate.

[incog-nito]

zootallures2: Read the article. He''s been in a wheelchair for 14 years. It should be obvious that he has no leg muscles to speak of.

[lewiston14]

Well its on every news channel tv/etc. in the world. Dont think his laywer is going to have a problem proving his case. Now they can find a job at burger king if they will take them

[kansas1946]

The reason police officers behave this way is because they''''re way overworked, and the main reason they''''re way overworked is the freaking war on drugs.
Legalize drugs and give the police a break from chasing every pothead around for no good reason.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by closethippy1 at 10:43 PM : Feb 13, 2008
*************************************

Bingo!! But it isn''t exactly being overworked, because cops LOVE the drug war. It is just that because of the drug war, they have had to hire hundreds of thousands of extra cops over the years, not being too particulary about psych-evals. Then, civil liberties were trashed to fight the drug war and "save the chillren.." don''t cha'' know. So the police have just gotten more violent and the drugs are making the gangs more violent...we have no moral leadership..in fact our wonderful president thinks torture is swell...so this is what it comes to. Sociapathic cops that think dumping a quadroplegic on the floor and laughing at him is all in a days work.

[zootallures2]

I''m sure if it was a REAL handicapped law abieding, honest citizen, this wouldn''t be on the news and no one would care. But when it''s crooks like Rodney King, it time to be afraid you can''t get away with cheating. On all sides... police, public... our crooks vs their crooks.