Clearwater Cop Faces Corruption Charges: Pinellas County Sheriff

CLEARWATER, FL — A Clearwater police detective was arrested Tuesday on eight felony public corruption charges, according to a Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office news release.

During “Operation Snow Cap,” a yearlong investigation into drug trafficking in Pinellas County, Lise, who was assigned to the Clearwater Police Department Narcotics Unit, accessed information from confidential law enforcement databases.

After the investigation, sheriff’s office detectives learned that Lise sent several text messages to two of the main suspects in the case, Matthew Turner and Henry Smith, warning them that they were being watched, PCSO said.

“This leaves me really angry beyond belief — he’s the president of the officers’ union and he represents hundreds of Clearwater officers and their interests,” Clearwater police Chief Eric Gandy said. “It appears that he put the interest of drug traffickers over those interests of his own officers.”

Lise was placed on administrative leave after his arrest, pending the outcome of a Clearwater police internal investigation.

“(He) is supposed to be looking out for cops, not putting them in harm's way,” Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said. “Lise was supposed to be getting drugs off the street, not protecting drug traffickers so they could sell more drugs, and Lise has betrayed everything that law enforcement officers stand for. At the end of the day, he’s a corrupt cop that needs to go to prison”.