13 Deputies Suspended For Chase

BROOKSVILLE - Twelve deputies and their supervisor were suspended without pay for their role in a high-speed chase that never should have happened in the first place.

Sheriff Richard Nugent personally evaluated the circumstances surrounding last Thursday's pursuit and gave a stern lecture to those involved before speaking with the press on Tuesday afternoon.

The deputies were told "how disappointed I am with their actions" and how dangerous it was to do this over a stolen car, Nugent said.

Records show one deputy responding to join the pursuit drove 117 mph on his way to Royal Highlands.

The sheriff believes the unprecedented mass discipline will serve as a warning to deputies considering unnecessary pursuits in the future.

"Sometimes it takes an episode like this to drive the point home," he said.

Deputy George Loydgren initiated the pursuit about 6 p.m. after spotting a red 2008 Mazda reported stolen earlier that day. He followed it from Sunshine Grove Road and Cortez Boulevard south onto Mariner Boulevard before flipping on his lights and sirens.

When the car didn't stop, Loydgren matched the Mazda's increasing speeds and called for backup. He was eventually joined by 11 other deputies, eight of whom were not authorized to get in on the chase.

Nugent said the chase never should have happened. Investigators knew who stole the car because his mother called the sheriff's office that morning. Apparently, he loaned it to the man who was reportedly behind the wheel that night, Roy Reffuse.

There are rare instances in which a chase should not be called off, Nugent said, but a stolen vehicle does not fall in the same category as a known murderer or bank robber.

Policy lays out 10 criteria deputies should consider before initiating a pursuit. The only one deputies did not violate in this pursuit was weather conditions.

The three principle deputies involved all drove faster than 100 mph; the automatic vehicle locator recorded Deputy Dustin Mormando clipping along at 112 mph.

That was on Mariner Boulevard at what passes for rush hour in Hernando County about 6 p.m. Reports state the suspect was weaving in and out of traffic and running red lights and stop signs.

Nugent said deputies did attempt to lay "stop sticks" on Cortez Boulevard, but the suspect was able to avoid them. Loydgren did not try tapping the Mazda's bumper in a "PIT maneuver," which sends a fleeing vehicle into a spin.

Often the sheriff's helicopter can keep an eye on the suspect when a chase is in progress and allow deputies to back off. Pilots were en route but the chase had finished before they got into the air.

During the course of the chase, one deputy crashed his car into an uninvolved vehicle and two other deputies barreled through a fence. Property damage involved is still being calculated, the sheriff said. A vehicle damage review board is expected to meet at the beginning of the year and could still hand down further discipline.

Nugent spreads the blame among the deputies, but also the supervisor on duty, Sgt. Frank Loreto. Loreto gave the green light to begin the pursuit and continued to allow it even as speeds and danger mounted.

"In my estimation he didn't do his job," Nugent said. "And from that point it broke down."

Deputy Stephen Miller and his K-9 were called as backup because deputies believed the suspect would flee once he crashed his car.

Miller topped 117 mph on Cortez Boulevard as he responded, which the sheriff called "inappropriate and extremely dangerous" in a memo to Miller.

Nugent believes that the deputies were fully aware of the policy. The first half hour of refresher training this summer focused on pursuits and the applicable policies. Instructors give real-life scenarios in which pedestrians and deputies have been killed or left paralyzed. Every deputy was given a copy of the pursuit policy this year that had to be signed. Capt. Michael Owens sent a fresh reminder to the district supervisors on Dec. 5 reminding them once again of the pursuit policy.

He defends the sheriff's office's record in cutting off pursuits in the past. His only explanation for this lapse in judgment is that the deputies got caught up in the moment.

When speaking with the deputies, Nugent made his case by emphasizing the danger not only to themselves but to the wives and family that live in the community.

"The last thing I want to do is go to a deputy's funeral for a chase over something like a stolen vehicle."