Infowars.com
June 6, 2013
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A Florida sheriff who believes in the Second Amendment was charged Tuesday for removing the arrest file of a suspect held on an unconstitutional gun charge but later released.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/static.infowars.com\/2013\/06\/i\/general\/060613finch.jpg\" "\\"Sheriff")
<\/p>\nSheriff Nicholas Finch
Source: Liberty County Florida Commissioners<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Liberty County Sheriff Nicholas Finch, 50, was booked in his own jail Tuesday with one count of official misconduct by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. The FDLE accuses Finch covering up the arrest of Floyd Eugene Parrish after releasing him from the Liberty County Jail. Parrish had been arrested for carrying a concealed firearm without a license, a third-degree felony in Florida.<\/p>\n
On March 8, Sgt. James Joseph Hoagland of the Liberty County Sheriff\u2019s Office arrested Parrish during a traffic stop after finding a .25 automatic pistol in Parrish\u2019s pocket and a holstered revolver in the front seat, according to court records. Parrish was then taken to the county jail.<\/p>\n
Finch arrived at the jail with Parrish\u2019s brother and spoke to Parrish, after which Finch took the arrest file and told correctional officers Parrish would be released with no charges, according to investigators. Finch also ordered both the pistol and revolver be returned to Parrish.<\/p>\n
Hoagland told FDLE investigators that several days later, he spoke to Finch about Parrish\u2019s release and Finch told him he \u201cbelieved in Second Amendment rights.\u201d <\/p>\n
The FDLE crime lab analyzed the jail log sheet and discovered white-out had been applied over Parrish\u2019s name. <\/p>\n
Investigators also noted that Hoagland\u2019s copy of the arrest affidavit and a computer record are the only known existing documentation of Parrish\u2019s arrest. Neither the affidavit nor the computer record are recognized in court because they are not considered usable originals. <\/p>\n
Finch\u2019s attorney does not refute the story as told by investigators. \u201cThe records at the jail show exactly what happened in this case and the records speak the truth,\u201d said Finch\u2019s attorney Jimmy Judkins. \u201cThe sheriff looked at the facts and said \u2018I believe in the Second Amendment and we\u2019re not going to charge him.\u2019 That is not misconduct at all. That is within the Sheriff\u2019s prerogative whether to charge someone or not.\u201d<\/p>\n
Samuel Coover, a Liberty County resident, said that because Finch was not from Liberty County, people considered him an outsider and finally railroaded him out. \u201cIn my personal opinion he was doing his job and people didn\u2019t like it,\u201d said Coover.<\/p>\n
Another long-time county resident also supported Finch. \u201cI hope it\u2019s all a misunderstanding,\u201d said 88-year-old Alma Sanders. \u201cWe need a good sheriff.\u201d<\/p>\n
An official misconduct charge is a third-degree felony in Florida, punishable by up to five years in prison if convicted. The charge is covered under Florida Statutes 838.022, which says it is unlawful for a public servant to \u201cconceal, cover up, destroy, mutilate, or alter any official record or official document.\u201d <\/p>\n
Finch was released shortly after his arrest on his own recognizance. He was elected sheriff seven months prior in the Florida panhandle county of approximately 8,000 residents.<\/p>\n
Source articles: <!– <\/p>\n –><\/p>\n This article was posted: Thursday, June 6, 2013 at 4:17 pm<\/p>\n Tags: constitution<\/a>, domestic news<\/a>, gun rights<\/a><\/p>\n
Update: Liberty County Sheriff Finch Arrested in Alleged Jail Coverup<\/a>
Florida Sheriff Arrested On Governor\u2019s Orders for Defending Second Amendment<\/a>
Liberty County Sheriff Arrested<\/a><\/p>\n
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