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Visit A State Park
To celebrate July as Recreation and Parks Month, the Florida
Department of Environmental Protection's Division of Recreation
& Parks is encouraging family friendly, outdoor recreation with
the launch of its Family. Friends. Fun. Campaign to reconnect children
and families with nature.
Since 1985, the National Recreation and Park Association has designated
July as Recreation and Parks Month. To celebrate this designation,
Florida is waiving admission to all state parks on July 13.
The Family. Friends. Fun. Campaign is hosting events in state parks
that appeal to individuals and families of all ages and interests this
July during Recreation and Parks Month. On Sunday, July 13, entry into
all 161 state parks will be free, providing an opportunity for everyone
to head outdoors and experience Florida State Parks.
Send your local meeting and special event notices
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Letters
Editor,
The acquisition by the SFWMD of the
Everglades acerage brings to mind that Jackie Gleason quote, "How sweet
it is!!", and the politically correct " Charlie, done to a Crist!!" We,
in Clewiston and surrounding areas are left with the
dismal lament of "What will we do without our , ever
loving Sugar Daddy??"
-T. W. Bill Neville
Editor:
I have recently reviewed letters/exchanges between Allen
Davis and Tony Vetter and have been inspired to share with the citizens
of Hendry County my perspective.
I was recruited and hired as a Deputy Sheriff for Hendry
County during Sheriff Lee’s first term as Sheriff.
I joined Lee’s office within his first 5 months of his first
term. My employment continued into Sheriff’s
Worley’s term and I left the Sheriff’s Office in
2002 to pursue a career in the private sector. During my time
at the Sheriff’s Office I worked closely with Tony Vetter and
was considered by most Deputies to be “Tony’s
boy” and on the inside track. After
Tony’s departure, I had an opportunity to work side by side
with Allen Davies for almost 2 years. My feelings/opinions
towards these two gentlemen changed during my time as a law enforcement
officer and I wish to share with your readers some of my experiences.
Upon my arrival to the HCSO in 1996 I quickly learned that
there was a strong divide within its ranks. The
“old regime” defined as the veteran Deputies or
Supervisors that had been close to other administrations or Sheriffs in
the past. And the “new regime” that
consisted of Deputies or Supervisors that Ronnie Lee had recruited or
assigned. It was apparent that if you had any desires for
promotions or participate in specialized units you needed to separate
yourself from the “old regime”. Tony
Vetter and Wyatt Henderson would openly character assassinate Deputies
that had been loyal and excelled under prior Sheriffs. Allen
Davies was among these individuals. In fact the stories told
by Vetter and Henderson painted people as criminals, mentally unstable,
unethical, and homosexual. While I can only speak for myself,
these tactics had a tremendous impact on my opinions of these people
and my desire to work with them. I found myself sharing and
participating in the rhetoric by spreading this
administration’s venom. Myself and others foolishly
drank Tony Vetter’s purple Kool Aid. The new regime
took pride in the fact that we where above the corruption that existed
before Lee was elected. We were part of the solution to clean
up the Office and bring pride and integrity back to HCSO. The
divide grew over time. Deputies segregated themselves into
cliques. Animosity and contempt grew between Deputies that
where once considered highly valuable members of the HCSO and were now
considered to be liabilities, “loose
cannons” or corrupt and the Deputies who now had fast tracks
to promotions and opportunity. Meanwhile I continued with my
loyal service to Lee, Vetter, and Henderson while feeding the sickness
by continuing to spread hatred and venom towards the “old
regime” to include Allen Davies.
To illustrate my point about the “old and new
regime” Allen Davies was a Lieutenant charged with
the Patrol Division, West District. A Deputy under his
command that was extremely loyal to Davies was transferred to Clewiston
(East District). This Deputy was involved in a controversial
arrest in which the suspect received two (2) lacerations in the back of
the head from an expandable baton. The suspect received
numerous staples to close the wound. When the incident
occurred I was the first officer to arrive on the scene for back
up. The incident was reported to Vetter and
Henderson. Henderson responded that evening to investigate
the incident. This Deputy’s fate with HCSO was
sealed the moment his arrestee was injured. The incident in
my opinion was handled from the beginning with the intention to
terminate the Deputy from HCSO. I personally witnessed
Henderson in the East District office an hour after the incident
happened stating that this Deputy had committed a crime and his career
was over. Less than hour! Before witness statement
had been taken, before the particulars of the incident ever debated or
reviewed, his career was over. In this particular case the
term Due Process was not observed, it wasn’t even a right, it
was an obstacle for the administration to maneuver around.
The administration was successful in bringing criminal charges against
the Deputy involved and he was eventually acquitted.
The character assassinations continued, rumors of group sex
parties to homosexual activity where whispered in the
hallways. Rumors of clandestine investigations of Deputies
off duty hours was the talk of the Office. Some Deputies
avoided the contact with the administration all together. The
“old regime” Deputies came to work with one goal in
mind don’t do anything that the administration
could fire you over. These Deputies had been reduced to a
survival mentality, trying to outlast Vetter, Henderson, and Lee.
Meanwhile due to my loyal service to Lee and Vetter, I was
rewarded. In September of 1998 I was promoted to
K9. My promotion was strictly decided between Vetter and
Lee. The position was never posted within the Office for
other Deputies to apply for. There had been no
“oral board” or “written
exam”. I was one of Vetter’s boys; I was
now the K9 handler for HCSO.
In Allen Davies’ pervious letter to Vetter, he
states; “at least I didn’t get a good K9 Deputy
shot”. Yes I was shot in the in line of
duty. The circumstances surrounding my shooting I take full
responsibility for. I made a decision. It was not
tactically sound. It was emotionally charged and fueled for
the love of my K9 partner. It is one that I live with
everyday and that I accept. I owe my life to the men and
woman that assisted me in that pasture on that awful day. For
record allow me to briefly outline the events surrounding that day:
·
It was my day off
·
I was on my way for a K9 training session with Cape Coral PD
·
Vetter called me on my HCSO cell phone
·
Vetter summonsed me to the Muse area
·
His cell phone was breaking up an communications was a challenge due to
his remote location in Muse
·
Upon my
immediate arrival I followed Vetter’s patrol vehicle down a
dirt
road
·
When we exited the vehicle, we were immediately confronted by a white
male that was approximately 30 yards away
Here is the information I was not aware of when I arrived in
Muse to assist Vetter and Henderson:
·
That I was responding to assist in the apprehension of a homicide
suspect
·
The suspect had murdered his wife earlier that day
·
That the suspect was under the influence for crack cocaine
·
That he was armed with a 12ga. Shotgun
·
I learned of these details during my recovery
Captain Tony Vetter and Lieutenant Wyatt Henderson commanded
that scene. Apparently there was no need for a briefing, no
need to describe the nature of situation to me or other Deputies, no
need to plan our approach to a drug crazed shotgun wielding homicide
suspect with a death wish. Apparently the need to discuss
strategy or options was merely a waste of time. I stormed
down that dirt road with nothing but the blind trust I had in my
Captain.
I wonder… if I was given a proper briefing, if we
took the time to discuss the challenge in front of us, perhaps we would
have taken a different approach? Perhaps a SWAT Team should
have been called in to set a perimeter and confront the suspect from a
safe distance and neutralize the threat? I forgot, Sheriff
Lee and his infinite wisdom states that Hendry County doesn’t
need a SWAT Team. Perhaps we could have called for air
support for observation of the suspect so grounds units knew his exact
location and behavior? Well we did eventually call for air
support; a Medi-Vac. I was flown to Lee Memorial Hospital
with a shotgun wound to my upper left thigh.
After my discharge form the hospital I was prescribed a host
of medication for pain management. One of the drugs had an
adverse affect on me. I became violent and out of control; to
the point that my parents and wife summonsed Vetter to my house to an
effort to help control me. Vetter and my family eventually
brought me to Lee Memorial Hospital and it was determined that I was
allergic to that particular medication. Shortly after this
incident Vetter called me at my house. He advised me that
HCSO had hired several new Deputies and that armory did have any
firearms to issue them. He asked me if he could have my HCSO
issued handgun and that he would provide me with a new one when the
supplies had come in. I agreed and arranged transportation to
the Office. Once there I had spoken with the supply clerk and
advised her I needed to surrender my weapon. She asked
why? I shared with her the conversation I had with
Vetter. She told me that we had not hired any Deputies and
that the armory and several un-issued handguns. I called
Vetter and confronted him. Vetter’s story is that
Vetter and Lee were concerned that I may take my life while recovering
from such a traumatic injury. They felt it best to remove the
firearm from my control. Like most Deputies I have my own
cache of weapons. They didn’t remove my personal
weapons, only HCSO weapons (they did leave the HCSO shotgun in my
house). Let us for a moment agree that Vetter’s
intentions had been pure. If he had really thought I was a
danger to myself and cared about my well being, why wouldn’t
HCSO send me to a counselor or mental health official? In
fact it should be noted that after my injury and months of rehab that
followed not once did HCSO offer counseling. In fact HCSO did
nothing for me during my rehab. Upon my release from the
hospital I was under the care of 4 different doctors and physical
therapist. Due to the pain medication and my limited movement
I was unable to drive. When my wife returned to work I had a
serious transportation issue. I asked HCSO for assistance but
no solution was ever offered by the administration for my
transportation needs. I had to count on my fellow Deputies on
their days off to transport me to Fort Myers and back for my weekly
appointments. I would provide a schedule of my doctor
appointments to a Deputy who would then recruit other Deputies to
voluntary drive me to Fort Myers and back in their personal vehicles.
As time went by I began to heal. I was on crutches
for months and when I was wasn’t at a doctor’s
office I was sitting at home. I repeatedly requested from
Vetter and Lee and I return to work some form of “light
duty”. I volunteered to answer phones, file papers,
anything to begin to work again. This request was denied time
and time again. Elections came and went and Steve Worley was
the new Sheriff. The night he was sworn in I was in
attendance. After Sheriff Worley had taken his oath of office
his very first act was to re-issue my HCSO firearm and he requested
that I returned to work. I will never forget that gesture and
the kindness that Steve Worley showed me. I wasn’t
isolated or segregated by others opinions. Not punished
because of my prior blind loyalty to Vetter and Lee. Worley
treated me with respect and honor. He treated me as member of
the Hendry County Sheriff’s Office.
I could fill the pages of the Hendry Glades Sunday News with
the inside stories of Tony Vetter, Wyatt Henderson, and Ronnie
Lee. Perhaps each week I will share with you another example
of Ronnie Lee machine as it ripped through Hendry County.
Eventually I was assigned as an Investigator and shared an
office with Allen Davies. At first I was apprehensive about
having to work with him; wondering how much I heard was true.
That apprehension rapidly disappeared. I quickly learned that
all of the preconceived notions I had of the man were false.
I learned that Allen was nothing like Vetter had portrayed
him. I thoroughly enjoyed the nearly 2 years I worked with
him. I am thankful that Allen didn’t hold my
misguided loyalty to Vetter and Lee against me and allowed me the
opportunity to know him.
I leave you with some food for thought…
It has been said that you can test a man’s character give him
adversity. I disagree; most people have the will to overcome
adversity. You want to test a man’s character; give
him power and see the manner in which he conducts himself.
Ronnie Lee, Wyatt Henderson, Tony Vetter, I hope for your sake someone
grades you on “curve”.
-Shelton Blackwell, HCSO 1996-2002
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CREW Land Trust Free Hikes
Tuesday Morning Guided Hike
– Guided hikes will be offered the 1st
and 3rd Tuesdays
of each month for all ages from 9:00 a.m. – noon. The hike is
free, although
donations to support the Trust’s preservation efforts are
appreciated.
Reservations (239-657-2253) are helpful but not required. Hikers are
encouraged
to bring water to drink and wear old shoes.
Daily/Ongoing-The CREW Marsh Hiking Trails
are open to the public from sunrise to
sunset every day. Self-guided
brochures
are available at the trailhead located at 4600 Corkscrew Rd., 2 miles
south of
State Rd. 82 or 18 miles east of exit 123 off I-75.
For more information call 239-657-2253.
For sheet music, music books, and song books we highly
recommend this online music company:
New Local Websites For Restaurants, Dating,
Family History, Books, etc.
Best Books
Library
allows the
community to rate and review your favorite books, share and catalog
books
you own or list those you want to read
Hendry-Glades
Eateries
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Hendry
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South
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Dating is
where you can place information about yourself in order to meet others
with
similar interests who either live in our area. If you have a photo you
can
upload it as well.
Cemetery
Tombstones shows photos
and comments about some historic and interesting gravestones in our
local
cemeteries including the Fort Denaud in Hendry county, and the Ortona
cemetery
in Glades county. You may upload your own photos of tombstones or
cemeteries
to memorialize your relatives and loved ones and provide a lasting
memory
online for everyone to see. Search photos by any keyword.
Find Your
Ancestors- Links to search your
ancestry
to find your long lost ancestors, relatives,
and
family history.
Mormon
Church - Who are they and what do they believe?
LIVE
Video Blog - Lifecast live video and audio blog from LaBelle
Trouble With Frequent Electric Outages?
How To Effectively Get FPL To Fix It
Some area homeowers have been frustrated over
frequent
elecric outages,
as many as a dozen times a month, and that air conditioning units,
computers and digital video recorders
(Tivo,
etc.) have been damaged due to the number of times the electric goes
out.
If your microwave clock is flashing that indicates the electric
momemtarily went
out and and can potentially cause damage to your electrical equipment.
See Florida
Power and
Light
Complaints for information on how to complain to FPL and the
Public Service
Commission to get more dependable electric service.
Meetings Coming Up
See Community
Organizations in Hendry and Glades county for meeting times
for local
organizations.
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Webpages of current interest:
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Attorney
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