Scott Swope Democratic Candidate for Pinellas County Sheriff P.O.

Box 1021 Palm Harbor, FL 34682-1021

Contact: Scott Swope 727-743-0800 SwopeforSheriff@gmail.com

Unserved warrant had existed for dead suspect

TREASURE ISLAND, Fla. (Sept. 1, 2012) The man shot to death early today by Pinellas County Sheriffs Office deputies in a Treasure Island motel had been wanted on a felony warrant for nearly a year-and-a-half before it was finally served. The division of the Sheriffs Office that served arrest warrants was done away with two years ago by Interim Sheriff Bob Gaultieri. As a result, Pinellas County now has more than 55,000 outstanding arrest warrants that remain unserved. At around 5 a.m. today, deputies shot and killed Gregory Johns at the motel where he was staying. He had been wanted on a variety of charges, including capital sexual battery, an offense that was allegedly committed against an 11-year-old girl this past June. At the time of the alleged sexual battery, the warrant had not yet been served. If it had been, Johns might have been arrested and jailed before the attack happened. While it is unfortunate that Gregory Johns was killed, I am thankful that neither the deputies nor any innocent bystanders were injured during the incident, said Scott Swope, the Democratic nominee for Pinellas County Sheriff. During the morning news conference, interim Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said Johns had a lengthy criminal history and was a bad guy. What Gualtieri did not tell the press was that Johns had been wanted on a felony arrest warrant issued in February 2011, a warrant that remained unserved for nearly a year-and-a-half. Issues involving public safety need to be at the top of the sheriffs priority list, Swope said, and Pinellas County residents need to be aware that more than 55,000 arrest warrants, a portion of them for violent crimes, now remain unserved.

When I become sheriff, I will focus the departments limited resources on getting felons and violent offenders off our streets and in jail where they belong, Swope said. Scott Swope is the Democratic candidate for sheriff, running against interim Rick Scott appointee Bob Gualtieri. The former traffic homicide investigator and magistrate is running on a platform focused on violent crimes, traffic safety, crimes against seniors and children, human trafficking, and responsible gun ownership. He has broad support across party lines includes numerous current and former elected officials, the AFL-CIO, and the Libertarian Party of Pinellas County. -0Editors note: For additional information or comments, please contact Scott Swope at 727743-0800 or at SwopeforSheriff@gmail.com .

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Paid for and approved by Scott Swope, Democrat, for Pinellas County Sheriff