by Bob Walsh
This is one of those cases where there is no dispute about what really happened but significant difference of opinion about the fallout.
About five years ago John DeRossett, 60, was arrested for the attempted murder of a police officer in Port St. John, Florida. The deputies showed up to arrest his niece for prostitution. She started screaming "Help" as though her life depended on it. Her uncle responded with as gun and opened fire. He hit one deputy in the gut. The deputy has since recovered. Both DeRossett and his niece, Mary Ellis DeRossett, 47, suffered minor gunshot wounds in the exchange.
His defense was that he was acting to defend his niece from an apparently severe threat. He had no idea he was shooting at cops (so he says). The cops position was that if you allow criminal activity in your home you need to expect the cops to drop in once in a while.
The Fifth District Court of Appeals has backed DeRossett in the matter. They dismissed all charges against him. He had been in the slammer for almost five years but was finally allowed out on bond.
It is common for whores and dope runners to start screaming for help when they are braced by plain-clothes officers in hopes that by-standers will help them escape. I have no information on whether or not the deputies who came to the DeRossett residence were in uniform or not.
2 comments:
Arrest teams should always have an Operation Plan and wear a minimum of a raid jacket before beginning an operation. If they were following correct protocol then I guess cops should start rolling up in armored vehicles.
The story I read indicated the cops were plain clothes so the home owner had no way of knowing they were cops. The only thing I think was wrong about the decision was the length of time to make, sounds like the guy shouldn't have spent a day in jail.
Post a Comment