Instructor Injured In Sheriff’s Use-Of-Force Drill
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — A retired sheriff’s officer in Florida was injured when a trainee fired a gun with a blank at him during a use of force training exercise.
Jacksonville Sheriff’s Director Tom Hackney says Chip Williams was training 10 officers Wednesday at the Criminal Justice Center in Jacksonville.
The Florida Times-Union reports Williams initially fired a weapon and corrections officer Tyler Kovacs was supposed to respond with his own gun loaded with soap-tipped simulated bullets.
Hackney says Kovacs took the blank gun from the instructor’s waistband and placed it against the instructor’s back and fired. He says there was no projectile, just a blank. But it had gunpowder, which penetrated Williams’ skin.
He says all instructors wear protective gear and it’s the first time an incident such as this has occurred.
School’s Back In Session For Some In The Florida Keys
MARATHON, Fla. (AP) — The lights flickered off during the lunchtime rush and the principal had to use a cellphone light to make sure everyone got their food, but school is back in session at a Florida school that was a Red Cross shelter after Hurricane Irma.
Wednesday was the second of three staggered school opening dates in Monroe County since Irma ravaged the Florida Keys Sept. 10.
Principal Wendy McPherson tells the Miami Herald it felt “pretty darn good” to return to Marathon Middle and High School.
For many students, being back in school is the only access they have to air conditioning. The free breakfast and lunch may be the only hot meals they’re getting. During first period, students filled out surveys on their needs — clothing, hygiene products and school supplies.
Prison Guard Charged With Violating Inmate’s Rights
PANAMA CITY, Fla. (AP) — A Florida prison guard accused of assaulting an inmate has been charged with violating the inmate’s rights.
Court records show that 49-year-old Michael Baxter was arraigned in a Panama City federal courtroom Wednesday on charges of falsifying records and depriving an inmate of his constitutional rights. A trial is scheduled for Dec. 4.
An indictment says Baxter was working at the Apalachee Correctional Institution in July 2015 when he assaulted an inmate, causing bodily injury. Authorities say Baxter then falsified an incident report, claiming that the inmate had attacked him.
The indictment didn’t list an attorney for Baxter.
