sptimes uncovers polk law enforcement coverup
Former Polk County Sheriff’s Deputy Scott Lawson is in Vermont, serving a 15 year prison sentence for sexually abusing young men. Lawson used his authority as a cop to “examine” his victims. According to the St. Pete Times, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) knew Lawson was doing creepy things on May 16, 2002.
Between midnight and 2am on May 31, 2002, Deputy Lawson suggested to at least three people that he was looking for some car-chasing action. A VW Passat passed by, and Lawson gave chase in his unmarked Crown Victoria. Lawson chased the Passat for 15.8 miles, at speeds averaging 105 mph (one witness estimated 120 mph at one point).
The Passat left the road, and crashed into a tree, injuring 18 year old driver Adam Jacoby, and killing 16 year old passenger Miles White. A local patrolman, Officer Robert Platts, pulled up and helped Lawson pull the injured Jacoby from the wreck. Before accident investigators arrived, the Crown Vic was gone.
Seeing Lawson on news reports, someone recognized him as the cop that had done an “exam” on her son, and called PCSO. Lawson was arrested, and he resigned from the force.
Meanwhile, PCSO accident investigators never really looked closely at Lawson’s possible role in the accident. Polk County Commissioners asked if they could trust the PCSO to investigate itself, and you can guess how that worked out.
Thankfully, St. Pete Times reporter Meg Laughlin did not let this go. She refused to just accept the PCSO result as the truth. Check out the multimedia special report: Right By Miles:
Two teenage boys are in a car chase with a reckless, sexually perverted Polk County sheriff’s deputy. The boys crash, killing Miles White, 16. But the sheriff’s office does not investigate its deputy’s involvement. Why?
The St. Pete Times thinks that Lawson’s Crown Vic may have caught up to the Passat, and BUMPED it off the road. In fact, a PCSO in-house newsletter states that Miles White was killed after being struck by a car driven by Lawson. The Times also found several inconsistencies on various reports and investigations, including downright lies on Lawson’s report.
Furthermore, crash investigator Detective David Hooyman later testified that he “was instructed by my supervisors at the sheriff’s department not to conduct an interview with Lawson.”
In the end, the sheriff’s office determined that Lawson played no role in the accident but violated department policy by breaking traffic laws and not identifying himself as an officer.
In encourage you to read the entire story: Why didn’t Polk Co. Sheriff’s Office investigate deputy’s role in crash?
Oh, and wonder what kind of (and how many) coverups are going on with your local government agencies.
Tags: coverup, law enforcement, newspaper, polk county, save journalism
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September 2nd, 2008 at 11:03 am
How embarrassing to have defended cops in the post below, and then see this.
Still, we know that TImes reporter Meg Laughlin does not have the authority to publish this story. Yes she had the initiative to investigate and report it, and I’m all for that. But when you invite us to ponder what other scandals are covered up, we can be sure they aren’t revealed unless/until they fit someone’s agenda. If this Polk County event happened six years ago, why is it news now? And the Times headline is misleading — did the boys know the sheriff was a pervert and that’s why they fled?
We *should* wonder what other coverups are happening within our govt, and we should wonder what motivates the media to disclose only certain ones, long after the horse has left the barn.
September 2nd, 2008 at 11:56 am
Oink Oink.