"They Won't Even Give The Reason For Pulling Him Over"

Family: Nassau County sheriff providing no details in fatal police shooting


Video could hold key to the incident.

Posted: September 14, 2010 - 10:
By Jim Schoettler

YULEE — A state investigator has told the family of an apparently unarmed Callahan man slain by a deputy Saturday night that he intends to review the patrol car’s video for evidence, but no details about what’s on the video or related matters have been released.

Sheriff Tommy Seagraves broke his agency’s silence about the shooting in an afternoon news conference Tuesday but gave few new details. Seagraves had refused to comment after turning the case over to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, whose officials have also declined to release details.

Seagraves wouldn’t discuss the reason for the traffic stop that led to the death of motorcyclist Franklin “Ray” Bodden, 39, or any circumstances involving Deputy Ernie Cole’s decision to shoot Bodden. Bodden’s sister, Melissa Bodden, told the Times-Union Tuesday night Bodden’s passenger, Tony Weeks, told her from jail the stop was made for speeding. She said she believes her brother was reaching for his cigarettes when he was shot.

Seagraves said he is waiting for the FDLE’s investigation to be complete before he proceeds with his own.

“Sometimes officers have to make … split-second decisions,” Seagraves said. “We do offer our sorrows at this occurring. It’s not something we wanted to see happen.”

Seagraves said he has not seen the tape from Cole’s car.

Bodden’s family has complained about a lack of information, though Seagraves said he’s released everything he could to the family.

“They haven’t had the decency to come down here to tell the family what happened,” said Chuck DeYoung, 55, Bodden’s brother. “I want the truth.”

Seagraves said Cole was placed on administrative leave following the shooting, which occurred after Cole stopped Bodden and Weeks in a commercial area of U.S. 1 in Callahan.

Also in Cole’s car was David Bright, a detention deputy, Seagraves said. He said Bright was riding with Cole as part of the agency’s civilian observer program.

Seagraves said Cole began his work as a corrections officer before moving to patrol. He called Cole a good deputy. He said Bright was hired a week before the shooting.

An FDLE spokeswoman said she didn’t expect the investigation to be completed for at least several weeks.

Bodden’s family said they were told by Weeks that Bodden was shot after Bright yelled out to Cole that Bodden was reaching for something in his pocket. Weeks said he witnessed the shooting from the hood of Cole’s car, where he was being handcuffed after Cole found some type of pill in his possession.

Melissa Bodden said she talked to Weeks on Tuesday night at the Nassau County jail, where Weeks is being held on charges of resisting arrest without violence and possessing drugs without a prescription.

Bodden said her brother and Weeks, his best friend, were riding on Bodden’s motorcycle to a pool hall when the shooting occurred. She said Bodden and Cole apparently knew each other. She said a witness to the traffic stop said Bodden and Cole shook hands moments after the motorcycle was pulled over in front of the pool hall.

Bodden said Weeks told her Bright called out to Cole, “He’s going for something.” She said Weeks told her Cole ordered her brother to stop, then shot him twice in the chest.

Bodden’s family said he did not own a gun and was unarmed at the time of the slaying.

A viewing for Bodden will be held Friday from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Nassau Funeral Home, 541720 U.S. 1. His funeral will be Saturday at 11 a.m. at Freedom Hall, 54233 Plantation Road.

jim.schoettler@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4385

Callahan Deputy Highly Praised By Sheriff!!!

Callahan Gains Deputies

Sheriff T.L. “Tommy” Seagraves, Jr., and Mayor Shirley Graham announced today that Deputies Ernie Cole and Ray Rhoden are now primarily working within Callahan. Specifically assigning deputies to Callahan and Hilliard was a project both the mayor and the sheriff have worked on for more than five years.

Sheriff Seagraves reported that a grant is paying for officers’ salaries and equipment in both Hilliard and Callahan. This grant will cover their activities for the next two and a half years.


In the photo, Ernie is on the left and Ray on the right

He said that both towns will retain their existing substations. Deputies assigned to Hilliard and Callahan will primarily work those towns but will be available to assist other officers during emergencies.

Both deputies, born in Callahan, have been in the department for some time. Ernie graduated from West Nassau High School in 2003 and Ray in 1992. Ray first became a police officer in 1999 in Fernandina Beach.

Sheriff Seagraves pointed out that he thought it important that officers familiar with Callahan be assigned. Mayor Graham said they were already have made an impact in town and have been meeting local businessmen.

Council Members Deborah Hase, Chuck Trader and John Morrissey MUST GO

FU TAXPAYER SO SAYS COUNCIL MEMBERS

St. Marys votes to fund more airport studies


Two councilmen say the project wasn't supposed to cost taxpayers.

Posted: September 14, 2010 - 11:16pm

By Gordon Jackson

ST. MARYS - City Council members voted 3-2 Monday to fund a new appraisal and a separate environmental study at the site of a proposed municipal airport near Woodbine.

Councilman Sidney Howell, who voted with Greg Bird against funding the studies, said it violates a non-binding referendum question that voters approved more than two years ago. The referendum gave city officials permission to relocate the airport under the condition no local taxes are used for the project.

"It's wrong spending money when the referendum said at no cost to taxpayers," Howell said.

The studies will now consider 600 acres that city officials said will be donated by a group that is the top bidder - so far - for Sea Island Co., which has declared bankruptcy.

The appraisal will also include more than 225 acres of wetlands never considered in the initial study, city officials said. The city's share for the two studies is $1,912.

Council members Deborah Hase, Chuck Trader and John Morrissey voted in favor of the motion. Keith Post, who has consistently voted for airport relocation, didn't attend.

Before the vote, Hase defended the recommendation to use local taxpayer money to fund the studies.

"The referendum still said to move it [the airport]," she said.

Earlier this year, council members approved a resolution 4-2 to use city funds for "incidental expenses" for airport relocation. Bird said the resolution allows city officials to disregard the voters' wishes.

"They gave themselves carte blanche on moving the airport," Bird said. "They put no limits on it."

Bird asked council members to delay the vote two weeks because the city has never published a Finding of No Significant Impact study, or FONSI, in the county's legal organ as the FAA requires.

The report was never published because city officials voted to abandon airport relocation in February 2007, a month before the study was released. Eleven months later, a new city council decided to resurrect the airport relocation issue.

City Manager Bill Shanahan said the city is not required to publish the study in the county's local newspaper because it was published in a federal publication that he did not identify.

But Bird disagreed, reading from a March 2007 letter from the FAA.

"In accordance with FAA procedures, the FONSI must be made available to the public," Bird read. "The enclosed notice must be placed in a local newspaper as soon as possible and run for a minimum of three days."

Bird said it's important for the public to understand the impact a new airport could have on the environment.

"We don't know the significance of the project," Bird said. "We need to find out exactly what we're dealing with [regarding] environmental issues."

Hase disagreed, saying the FAA understands the issues surrounding the project.

"It doesn't hurt to move forward," Hase said. "We need to keep moving with this project."

gordon.jackson@jacksonville.com, (912) 729-3672

Why do you need to keep this moving, and at what cost?

Nassau Cover Up!!!

In the real world if this COP didn't have a badge, he would be sitting in jail charged with murder, but he wears a badge and gets a free pass.

Why did it taking so long for Nausau to release the names and tell us what they THINK happened.

THIS IS WHY PEOPLE DO NOT TRUST COPS!!!!!!!!

FROM THE FLORIDA TIMES UNION:
Nassau sheriff to break silence in fatal shooting of motorcyclist by deputy


Deputy Ernie Cole shot motorcyclist Franklin Bodden during a traffic stop in Callahan Saturday night

Posted: September 14, 2010 - 10:29am
 
 
By Jim Schoettler


A state investigator has told the family of an apparently unarmed Callahan man slain by a deputy Saturday night that he intends to review the patrol car's video for evidence of the incident, but no details about what's on the video or related matters have been released.

Sheriff Tommy Seagraves plans to break his agency's silence about the shooting during a 3 p.m. press conference today. Seagraves has refused to comment after turning the case over to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, whose officials have also declined to release details.

The siblings of Franklin "Ray" Bodden, 39, said an FDLE investigator told them that Deputy Ernie Cole's vehicle was equipped with a video camera and that evidence would become part of the investigation.

Chuck DeYoung, Bodden's brother, and Melissa Bodden, their sister, told The Times-Union this morning the investigators said he would contact them with more information, but hasn't so far. Bodden's family has complained about the lack of information released in the case.

"They haven't had the decency to come down here to tell the family what happened," DeYoung said of the Sheriff's Office. "I want the truth."

FDLE spokeswoman Kristen Chernosky said Cole was placed on administrative leave following the shooting, which occurred after Cole stopped Bodden’s motorcycle in a commercial area of U.S. 1 in Callahan.

Also in Cole's car was David Bright, who had just been hired by the Sheriff's Office as a corrections officer, Chernosky said. She said she wasn't sure why Bright was riding with Cole.

Authorities have yet to give a motive for the shooting or why Bodden's motorcycle was stopped. The Sheriff’s Office has yet to release any details about Cole or Bright's employment with the agency.

Chernosky said she didn’t expect the investigation to be completed for at least several weeks. She declined to comment on any evidence in the case or other details.

Bodden's family said they were told by his passenger, Tony Weeks, that Bodden was shot after Bright yelled out to Cole that Bodden was reaching for something on the motorcycle. Weeks said that he witnessed the shooting from the hood of Cole's car, where he was being handcuffed after Cole found some type of pill in his possession. Weeks said Bodden had been told by the deputy he was free to go when the shooting occurred.

DeYoung said he talked to Weeks by phone Monday from the Nassau County jail, where Weeks is being held on charges of resisting arrest without violence and possessing drugs without a prescription. DeYoung said Weeks told him that Bodden had either raised his hands or was raising his hands when he was shot twice in the chest.

Bodden said her brother and Weeks, his best friend, were riding on Bodden’s motorcycle to his parent’s home to spend the night when the shooting occurred. She said Bodden and Cole apparently knew each other. She said a witness to the traffic stop said Bodden and Cole shook hands moments after the motorcycle was pulled over in front of a local pool hall.

Bodden said she believes her brother was only reaching for his cigarettes when Bright called out to Cole, “He’s going for something.” She said her brother was shot twice in the chest and fell face down.

Bodden's family said he did not own a gun and was unarmed at the time of the slaying.

DeYoung said funeral arrangements for his brother should be completed by this afternoon.

Read jacksonville.com and Wednesday's Times-Union for updates

 
 
 
CAN'T WAIT TO SEE WHAT THE INTERNAL INVESTIGATION FINDS ON THIS ONE.
 
details to follow.....