Deputy Suspended for Not Stopping Prisoner Mistreatment

The video of the incident can be seen at the bottom of this post.

A Sarasota County Sheriff’s deputy who witnessed the alleged mistreatment of a prisoner at the county jail has been suspended for 36 hours for failing to take action.

Deputy Michael De Leo’s inaction was brought to the attention of Sheriff Tom Knight earlier this week when a video was pulled from the Sarasota County Jail that showed the July 18 booking of inmate Randy Miller on trespassing charges. In that video, Sarasota Police Officer Andrew Halpin is seen tossing peanuts into Miller’s mouth as the man was sitting on a bench, handcuffed. A few minutes into the video Miller is shown attempting to eat the peanuts off the floor as Halpin kicks them in his direction.

The actions occurred within the line of sight of Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office employees.

“Immediately after the conduct was brought to my attention on July 27th, I directed our IA section to initiate an investigation,” Knight said in a statement announcing De Leo’s suspension. “Within two days, our investigators interviewed seven witnesses in two counties, reviewed jail video, completed their reports and presented their findings to me.”

See Also:

• Video: Cop Fees Homeless Handcuffed Prisoner Like a ‘Dog’

Those findings prompted the suspension, which is effective immediately.

“While we cannot control the actions of Sarasota Police Officer Andrew Halpin, we do take responsibility for the inaction of our deputy, who failed to intervene in the improper treatment of Mr. Randy Miller,” Knight said.

The Sarasota Police Department is conducting its own investigation into the allegations against Halpin. The officer has been suspended with pay pending the outcome of that investigation.

The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office, Knight said, strives to treat “all people with dignity and respect. De Leo wasn’t the individual who instigated the situation seen on the video—it is the sole responsibility of Sarasota Police Officer Andrew Halpin—but De Leo did not represent the high standards and values we take very seriously at the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office.”

It is unclear how soon the Sarasota Police Department will complete its investigation.

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