EX-DEPUTY ARRESTED OVER DRUGS

The Officer Resigned, Then Took Narcotics From The Evidence Room, A
Sheriff's Spokesman Says.

TAMPA -- A few hours after he resigned as a Hillsborough County deputy,
Christopher Madiedo walked into the Sheriff's Office evidence room Friday
wearing a department jumpsuit and requested envelopes of narcotics from
pending cases.

The transaction went so smoothly that he did the same thing Saturday
evening, officials said. All told, Madiedo walked away with six envelopes
containing small amounts of crack cocaine, powdered cocaine and marijuana
from four cases.

But the guard's suspicion ultimately led to Madiedo's arrest late Saturday
on multiple charges including impersonating an officer and evidence
tampering. The arrest put a strange twist on a turbulent 5-year career that
already included a shooting, a pending lawsuit, multiple suspensions and a
bar fight.

"You get all sorts," said Sheriff's Office spokesman Rod Reder. "Everybody
is going to take their own route as their career progresses."

Right before the most recent trouble, Madiedo, 26, submitted a
two-paragraph letter of resignation Friday. He wrote that he gained
valuable experience but decided to pursue other avenues. Madiedo left
Friday in good standing with the department, Reder said.

"He had said he was going to resign, handed in his memos and did his exit
interview on Friday," said Reder. "He was basically gone at that time. His
past had nothing to do with (the voluntary resignation)."

Then came the evidence room visits Friday night and Saturday night, when
Madiedo's resignation paperwork was still making its way through the
system. The guard grew suspicious after the second visit and called a
supervisor. Madiedo was summoned.

Another twist followed: Madiedo came in to surrender and hand over the
stolen evidence, but he had replaced the marijuana with leaves and twigs,
the crack cocaine with candle wax and the powdered cocaine with soap,
deputies said.

Deputies later found 12 small bags of marijuana, a crack cocaine pipe, and
a loaded .45-caliber pistol in his marked Sheriff's Office car, which had
yet to be returned along with his badge.

Madiedo was arrested on six counts of tampering with evidence, two counts
of impersonating a law enforcement officer, possession of marijuana with
intent to distribute, possession of cocaine, possession of a firearm in
commission of a felony, and a misdemeanor charge of possession of drug
paraphernalia. He was released from the Hillsborough County Jail after
posting $30,000 bail Sunday.

A woman who answered the door at Madiedo's home declined to comment Sunday.

Investigators were uncertain of Madiedo's motive; he had not investigated
the drug cases.

The cocaine taken over the weekend wasn't recovered, and Madiedo refused to
submit to a drug test. "Of course, that's why we have more investigating to
do," said Reder. "And because he is not talking or cooperating, it makes it
that much harder for us."

Also, Reder said, the incidents have prompted an internal affairs
examination of the department's system of signing out evidence.

"We are going to see if we have a personnel issue or a procedural problem,"
said Reder, relaying a statement from Sheriff Cal Henderson.

Madiedo became a deputy in 1996, and was named officer of the month in
March and December of 1999.

But he has endured trouble, the most serious a 15-day suspension given in
October 1998 after he shot an unarmed motorist twice in the back. Madiedo
told investigators that the motorist, Howard Richmond, had tried to grab
his gun after he pulled Richmond over for a traffic stop. Richmond and
three witnesses, however, said Richmond was running away when he was shot.

Prosecutors later dropped charges against Richmond of marijuana possession,
battery on a law enforcement officer and resisting arrest. He sued the
Sheriff's Office. The case has not yet gone to trial.

Madiedo was suspended for three days after getting into a fight at the Tiny
Tap Tavern while off duty on Dec. 2. Investigators said he had committed
misdemeanor battery, misused his badge while consuming alcoholic beverages
and lied about what happened.

Other disciplinary actions included a one-day suspension for failing to
appear when subpoenaed and reprimands for not following procedure and for
his involvement in a car accident.