Pinellas narcotics detective resigns after seeing sheriff's evidence against him
LARGO — One narcotics detective has resigned and three others will begin disciplinary hearings this week amid allegations of trespassing, lying and brutality that have plagued the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office for months, Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said Monday. Michael Sciarrino, 36, was scheduled to be interviewed under oath today in an administrative hearing. Instead, said Gualtieri, Sciarrino quit on Monday after reading thousands of pages of interviews and documents collect
Pinellas narcotics detectives are under fire again over allegations of beating a man
CLEARWATER, Fla. -- There are more problems in the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office narcotics unit, and several attorneys are calling for an investigation by the U.S. Justice Department. The newest incident involves a man who says he changed his mind about being a confidential informant and says he was beaten by detectives. Attorney Jordon Tawil says, "It appears they are out of control and the law is not being followed." Tawil is talking about what happened between his clien
WingHouse arrest now part of Sheriff's Office investigations
LARGO — The WingHouse was hopping Sept. 2 when Carissa Michelle Weaver watched her boyfriend go out to the parking lot to make a phone call. When she checked on him a few minutes later, she saw two men grab him and push him to the ground. Weaver screamed. The commotion that followed is now part of an internal affairs investigation by the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office and a civil rights complaint to the U.S. Justice Department. Weaver's boyfriend, Sergio "Junior'' Valdivies
