Six more BSO deputies suspended, fired in wake of Tamarac triple murder
Five Tamarac district deputies were placed on administrative leave without pay: Dia Cross, Daimeon Nelson, Eric Baide, Eric Klisiak, and Lemar Blackwood, according to notices of suspension or termination obtained by the South Florida Sun Sentinel. A sixth deputy who was on probationary status, Stephen Tapia, was terminated Friday 'for failure to meet probationary standards.'
An angry Sheriff Gregory Tony had vowed to hold his deputies accountable following the shooting of Mary Gingles, her father, David Ponzer, and a neighbor, Andrew Ferrin, in a quiet Tamarac community on Feb. 16. Mary Gingles had repeatedly sought help from the Sheriff's Office, saying in a court petition that she believed her husband, Nathan Gingles, was going to kill her. Gingles is now charged with three counts of first-degree murder.
'There will be people that lose their job over this,' Tony had said at a news conference three days after the murders. 'And I'll make sure they don't win a damn arbitration.'
Tony had suspended seven deputies with pay immediately after the shooting. An eighth deputy was suspended shortly after. And the captain of the entire district, Jemeriah Cooper, was demoted to deputy before he was terminated in May.
Former head of BSO's Tamarac unit fired after demotion over triple murder
BSO had evidence of suspicious bag left at Tamarac murder victim's home before her death, report shows
At least 15 deputies have now been suspended or fired since the triple shooting. The five on Friday were suspended without pay entirely; some had previously been suspended with pay. The Sheriff's Office did not provide any details on their role the day of the shooting due to the ongoing investigation, but all five are being charged with not meeting BSO standards when it comes to an 'active shooter,' according to their notices.
Many of them also face charges relating to 'neglect of duty,' 'discretion,' and 'Body Worn Cameras.'
Another deputy, Daniel Lovallo, was placed on administrative leave with pay in April. One of the charges in his case has to do with 'meeting BSO standards' in relation to 'Domestic Violence/Dating Violence Case Procedure,' according to his notice.
Some of the deputies who were originally suspended with pay in February are now suspended without pay.
A sergeant, Travis Allen, whose suspension was one of the seven initially reported by the Sun Sentinel, went from administrative leave with pay to without pay on May 23. Allen had responded to the scene with other deputies setting up a perimeter about 6 a.m. on Feb. 16 and had spotted people matching the appearance of Nathan Gingles and his young daughter walking in the neighborhood from his car, according to the probable cause affidavit. He broadcast over radio that he had seen a man and a barefoot girl, 'however, due to the unknown circumstances of the call, deputies continued to canvass the area.' Charges Allen is facing include the active shooter-BSO standards charge, 'taking suitable action' and neglect of duty, according to the notice.
Former head of BSO's Tamarac unit fired after demotion over triple murder
BSO had evidence of suspicious bag left at Tamarac murder victim's home before her death, report shows
Some of the deputies suspended without pay on Friday face unique charges. Blackwood is facing a charge related to 'meeting BSO standards' when it comes to 'responsibilities of the field training deputy/tech,' and Klisiak is charged with 'meeting BSO standards' when it comes to 'Quick Response Force,' according to their notices.
This is a developing story, so check back for updates. Click here to have breaking news alerts sent directly to your inbox.
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