A quick review of the incident tells of a Mr. Parrish being pulled over for a very minor traffic violation last March. The officer, a deputy employed by Sheriff Finch, did a pat-down search of Mr. Parrish and discovered a small pistol in his pocket. Parrish had no “permit” for such and the deputy arrested him for carrying a concealed weapon without a permit. Sheriff Finch was notified of the situation and he went to the Liberty County Jail that he manages. There, after looking over the entire incident, he released Mr. Parrish and canceled the arrest. This is fully within his power of discretion as sheriff. In the first place, Sheriff Finch disagreed with the probable cause used to justify the stop and disagreed with the pat down that led to Parrish’s arrest. More importantly, Sheriff Finch nullified a wrong and stood for the Constitution which he is sworn to uphold. Faced with a choice between obeying a state statute or adhering to individual liberty, he chose liberty!
Following this incident, Sheriff Finch was investigated by the State of Florida and arrested for destroying official documents, a dubious accusation at best. Florida Governor Rick Scott took it upon himself to first suspend Sheriff Finch, then remove him from office and fill the vacancy by appointing a member of the very agency that investigated and arrested him! (In layman terms this is all called “the good ‘ol boy system”)!
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