Christopher Dearden

Citrus Springs Florida Deputy Christopher Dearden suspended in case involving boy, 9, at school

2006-06-27 CITRUS SPRINGS, FLORIDA - The Sheriff's Office on Tuesday suspended a deputy for five days and put him on six months' probation for his handling of a case that involved a 9-year-old Citrus Springs Elementary School student.

The agency said Deputy Christopher Dearden failed to document an incident in a timely manner, failed to follow agency policy and school policy regarding juvenile cases, failed to read the student his Miranda rights, and was careless in dictating an arrest report.

As it turns out, the most controversial aspect of the case - that the deputy handcuffed the boy - never was true.

Dearden was suspended with pay while investigators determine whether he acted "within established guidelines" Oct. 5 when he handcuffed the boy in the school guidance counselor's office and took him to Citrus County jail.The Dunnellon boy, a third-grader, is not being identified because of his age.

But sheriff's officials reviewed an arrest report and spoke with Dearden and the counselor."It was determined that at no time was (the boy) handcuffed during the incident, contrary to what was originally documented by Deputy Dearden in his arrest report," a sheriff's memo said.

But there was enough wrong with Dearden's handling of the case to merit disciplinary action, the Sheriff's Office determined.

For example, Dearden learned on Sept. 3 that someone had used a stick to scratch a Ford Explorer, but he didn't file an offense report, as is required by policy.

He also failed to follow the protocol required for interviewing children and failed to read the boy his Miranda rights, the memo said.

"In looking at the incident as a whole, Deputy Dearden did not make the best decisions or take the most appropriate action once he had obtained all of the facts as they relate to this case," the memo said.