MCSO Sergeant Throws Flash Bang Grenade At Party, Resigns: Report

MANATEE COUNTY, FL — A Manatee County Sheriff’s Office sergeant has resigned following an internal investigation into his use of a flash bang grenade outside a holiday party Dec. 12, the Herald-Tribune reported.

When John Finley arrived at the party at a co-worker’s house, he announced his arrival by throwing a flash bang grenade, reports said.

He resigned Feb. 13, the day after the MCSO Professional Standards division launched an investigation of the incident. He spent nearly 20 years working for the sheriff’s office, serving as a sergeant in the agency’s telephone reporting unit and as the assistant SWAT commander, reports said.

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While nobody saw Finley throw the grenade, partygoers heard the bang, Randy Warren, the MCSO public information officer, told the Herald-Tribune.

A Professional Standards investigator found his actions to be unlawful, reports said. MCSO alerted the state attorney’s office to the investigation and recommended pressing charges against Finley.

Patch has contacted MCSO for additional information and a copy of the investigation.