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Collier deputy fired for letting unlicensed driver operate her vehicle
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A Collier County deputy-in-training was fired after an internal investigation revealed she allowed her boyfriend to drive her car even though she knew his license was suspended.
Deputy Shaconda A. Rice, 23, who was hired in November 2006, had her appointment withdrawn on Sept. 26, according to a recently released internal investigation. Rice was earning $37,970.14 a year when she was fired, the Sheriff’s Office reported.
According to the investigation, on July 13, 2007, Rice and her boyfriend, Michael Young, drove to Fort Lauderdale because they’d heard Young’s grandmother died. After learning that Young’s grandmother was alive, they drove back to Collier County with Young behind the wheel.
Rice told investigators Young was driving because she was tired.
“I had been at work all day and I didn’t want to get under the wheel, you know, already exhausted,” Rice said in an internal interview. “So he drove there and he drove back.”
Around mile marker 92 on the Alligator Alley portion of Interstate 75, Young was pulled over by another deputy because of a tint violation on the vehicle’s windows, the investigation revealed.
The deputy learned that Young had a suspended license and lengthy criminal history including robbery, the investigation revealed. Young also told the deputy he used “weed.”
After learning that Rice was a deputy, she was instructed to drive her vehicle home, authorities said.
The internal investigation began after Rice’s superiors at the Sheriff’s Office learned of the traffic stop.
During an internal interview, Rice initially said she didn’t know that Young had a suspended license even though the interviewer pointed out it has been suspended at least eight times since the beginning of their relationship in 2000.
Rice and Young dated from 2000 to 2002, and then began dating again in December 2006.
“He never had a vehicle; anywhere we had to go my mom took us,” Rice said. “I had a learner’s permit back then. I never asked him, and I never rode in a car with him, other that my mom taking us places, so there was no reason for me to ask ‘do you have a license.’”
Later Rice admitted that she knew Young’s license was suspended the week before the traffic stop and allowed him to drive anyway.
“I was tired that day, that’s why I didn’t drive,” Rice said.
Attempts to reach Rice for comment Monday were unsuccessful. Rice was fired for “immoral, unlawful, or improper conduct ... either on or off duty.”
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Big News!!
#1 Posted by eltuna on November 5, 2007 at 6:38 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Shaconda? No question about that pedigree.
#2 Posted by yregrus on November 5, 2007 at 6:42 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Don't they give tests for "common sense" when they are trained?
#3 Posted by tootsie on November 5, 2007 at 6:46 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I wonder if the aspiring deputy is related to our Secretary of State.
#4 Posted by ZhuZhu on November 5, 2007 at 6:50 p.m. (Suggest removal)
So is she being charged with allowing and unauthorized person to drive? Or is it because she was a deputy at the time, that they look the other way? Technically, they both should have went to jail that afternoon they were pulled over. I know, had it been me, I would have been posting bond.
#5 Posted by SandnSurf on November 5, 2007 at 7:04 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Show me your friends and I'll tell you who you are!
#6 Posted by DOBERMAN on November 5, 2007 at 7:07 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Typical cop bull***t.
#7 Posted by Smoke_Diver on November 5, 2007 at 7:09 p.m. (Suggest removal)
When they say driving her car, they do mean POV correct? What a way to end a law enforcment/corrections career...
#8 Posted by Jadip811 on November 5, 2007 at 9:35 p.m. (Suggest removal)
IF A DEPUTY HAS SUCH OF BOYFRIEND, WHAT WE CAN ESPECT FROM THE POLICE WORK PERFORMANCE ??
SHAME ON YOU DEPUTY, I HOPE YOU NEVER CAN FIND A JOB TO PROTECT & SERVE, NEVER.
AND WHAT HAPPENS WITH THE SELECTION PROCESS, HUMAN RESOURCES WHEN CHECK BACKGROUND OF CANDIDATES APPOINTED FOR THE JOB, DO THEY CHECK THE HOUSE MEMBERS AND CLOSE RELATIVES. LOOK AT THIS CASE, WHERE IS THE CONFLICT OF INTEREST ? IS EVIDENT, GIRLFRIEND SHARE INFO WITH BOYFRIEND, WHAT ELSE??
DO WE HAVE TO WAIT FOR ANOTHER MISTAKE OF THE FORCE OR WE'LL HAVE NEW SHERIFF IN TOWN SOON, VERY SOON.
#9 Posted by osceolaoldertimer on November 5, 2007 at 9:57 p.m. (Suggest removal)
ROFLMAO!!!
I'm sure the background check turned up nothing. Only God will know who did the background check.
First we get deputies off the hook for speeding with lights off to a robbery, where radio calls show the alarm was called off 30 seconds before they collide and kill a driver trying to make a left turn.
Then we have an aggressive deputy confronting a patron at a Publix for sampling live produce.
Both cases were defended by their boss as proper police work.
Under his nose, a deputy in training, has her windows tinted in her car dark enough to alert another deputy. How dark is that?
What a joke......
#10 Posted by volochine on November 6, 2007 at 1:09 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Cops use the "tint" excuse just to pull people over. That is their PC, nine times out of ten, the tint is NOT to dark.
#11 Posted by SandnSurf on November 6, 2007 at 9:47 a.m. (Suggest removal)
SandnSurf, I was pulled over in my factory tint Jeep Cherokee. You're right, it's used as an excuse.
It was actually pretty comical. The young rookie wanted to know why I had tinting on my windows; I said "because it's Florida, and it's a factory tint". She asked me if she could search my vehicle; I said "not unless I'm under arrest and you plan on doing an inventory search". She asked me if I could prove my tinting was factory; I said "it's not my job to do your job for you". She said that if I didn't give her permission to search, that she would call for a K-9 unit to sniff for drugs. I said, "knock yourself out". She stomped off, got in her unit, and left.
The whole episode only lasted about 10 minutes, but the average citizen gets intimidated and allows for a search. I never mentioned my years of law enforcement experience, I was just more interested in seeing how far someone who lacked the proper training and experience to be on the streets, would go.
#12 Posted by 676 on November 6, 2007 at 12:51 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Cops and robbers all come from the same gene pool so I'm not surprised when I hear of criminal behavior in law enforcement. Opposites attract, lady cops probably like bad boys, don't be naive.
#13 Posted by doodlebug on November 6, 2007 at 2:34 p.m. (Suggest removal)
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
#14 Posted by cupcake on November 6, 2007 at 3:12 p.m.
676, I agree 100% most people don't know their rights and readily agree to their vehicle being searched. They look for a reason, find it and run with it. Sounds like you developed a "friend" for life. LOL
Why anyone would voluntarily agree to a search is beyond me. Whether you have anything to hide or not. I've never had a deputy want to search my vehicle and hopefully I never will. But I think the automatic response I would give would be no, absolutely not. I do not and will not agree to any sort of search. And if they pulled that I'm going to call in a K9 unit to sniff your vehicle, I would said the same thing, have at it , but keep in mind your "reasonable " amount of time detaining me for a possible traffic infraction is running out.
#15 Posted by Jadip811 on November 7, 2007 at 8:08 a.m. (Suggest removal)
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
#16 Posted by StandUpSistah on November 7, 2007 at 11:07 a.m.
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