Latest Headlines
- Century’s Small Town Christmas Parade Turns Out Small With Four Entries, No Santa
- Sunny, Cool Sunday
- Acres Of Christmas Lights, Hayride, Goats In Pajamas At Run-a-muck Ranch In Bratt
- Home for the Paw-lidays Free Dog, Cat Adoptions At Escambia Shelter
- FDOT Completes $7.5 Million Highway 90 Resurfacing Project
- Going Shopping? A Watchful ECSO Eye Has Your Back
- Tate Aggies Soccer And Basketball Earn Friday Night Wins
- No Serious Injuries In Bratt Rollover Crash
- Escambia County’s First Wawa Store Now Open; Four More Planned
- Atmore Man Charged With Fleeing, Striking Officer With Four-Wheeler
Escambia Sheriff Candidate John Powell Arrested On Campaign Violation Charge
July 31, 2012
ARCHIVED STORY — July 31, 2012
John Russell Powell, candidate for Escambia County Sheriff, was arrested Monday night and booked into the county jail on a charge related to an elections law violation.
Powell, according to the Sheriff’s Office, was booked on a direct file capias issued by the State Attorney’s Office following grand jury proceedings that lasted most of the day Monday. Powell was indicted on one misdemeanor charge related to accepting cash contributions in excess of $50 and was released on his own recognizance. He will be arraigned Tuesday morning.
State law limits cash contributions to $50 per person.
An indictment is merely a formal charge by a grand jury; it does not indicate guilt or innocence. The indictment and arrest will have no legal impact on Powell’s ability to continue his campaign for office.
Powell said Monday night that is not guilty of the accusations and that he will continue his campaign. To read Powell’s complete statement, click here.
The case against Powell is not likely to be settled prior to the August 14 primary, according to State Attorney Bill Eddins.
“It would take two or three weeks for an arraignment and several months before any trial,” Eddins said prior the grand jury being convened.
Powell came under scrutiny by the grand jury due to a letter from incumbent Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan to Eddins. Morgan said he was acting as a law enforcement officer, not as a candidate, in writing the letter.
“While I am acutely aware of the political implications of this letter and request, both you and I are sworn to uphold (enforce) laws, regardless of the timing, when made aware of such violations,” Morgan wrote.
In the letter, Morgan lists about 30 cash contributions made to Powell’s campaign that were in excess of the $50 per person cash limit. Campaign finance documents at the Escambia County Supervisor of Elections Office show cash contributions to Powell’s campaign in excess of $50 in amounts that ranged from $65 to $230.
“This information was brought to my attention by another elected official. And upon further investigation, through public records posted on the Supervisor of Elections Website, it appears that John Powell’s campaign is engaged in an ongoing course of conduct in violation of Florida’s Election Law’s specific limitations on cash contributions,” Morgan wrote.
“As you can surmise, this is no small amount and is indicative of an ongoing flagrant disregard for the very statutes one swears to uphold,” Morgan continued.
Morgan was also a subject of the grand jury’s proceedings on Monday. Assistant State Attorney Greg Marcille said Monday night that the grand jury took no action related to Morgan.
Comments
94 Responses to “Escambia Sheriff Candidate John Powell Arrested On Campaign Violation Charge”
@molinojim I can share what Morgan should have done. He should have let the supervisor of elections do the job they are there for.
He still has my vote get Morgan OUT! What a cheap shot
Powell hasn’t lied to me yet. Morgan has. Can I prosecute Morgan for telling me he’s gonna put more Dep on the road, & outa office jobs? I think there’s more supervisors behind desks than there was before. I know we’ve got less Dep in the northend. $60,000 raise for his buddy…….hundreds of thousands of $ wasted when the water got high & flooded alot of S.O. vehicles, that is being replaced by tax $, because Morgan wasn’t doing the job I helped him get elected to do. I would vote for Mickey Mouse if he ran against Morgan, & I’m definately voting for a real cop this time! “POWELL”
Sir Morgan needs to not throw stones in his glass house. I understand that a Deputy got caught sleeping 4 times and he did not get fired but demoted to dispatcher, because his wife is a Sergeant. More Good Ole Boy stuff.
I have NO personal interest in who the sheriff is. While it is true that the information could have been handled differently by informing the FDLE-let them investigate-and if the information was correct-let them draw up an affidavit- had a judge sign it- and physically arresting Powell. Would that have been better? Can some one share with us what Morgan should or could have done with the information? Please no more “tattling” explanations or comments. The reason for a “cap” on cash is simple–it helps to keep everyone honest. A check gives a nice “paper trail” for the same reason and gives the supporter a chance to give more if they wish to. I’ve watched sheriff races for years and the races never change.
Every dog has their day and if Powell is found guilty so be it, but that does not negate the fact that Morgan has become notorious for “tattling” or making life difficult for those he finds a threat. Look at what he is doing to a certain officer that has held his postition over the drug force for years and done a great job at it I might add. This officers “mistake” and I say that lightly was actually running for sher. in the past. Hummmm threat detected as my computer would say. Morgan also tried at that time to “strong arm” this deputy and lost. After years of working closely with law enforcement and thank goodness I am retired, another thing citizens are not always aware of is this, there has always been an “implied” if you want your job, the signs will be in your yard, you will make contributions, etc.
As for the great job on getting rid of the crime….he hasn’t managed to do one thing other than cause them to relocate until the “hot” area cools off. Why do you think your seeing and hearing about more crime in areas that we used to feel comfortably safe in. DUH! All the arrests being made, look at the types of crimes….they are petty crap to fill up the jail and make it look like he is just magnificient. Don’t get that statement wrong, please, as wrong is wrong and even small crimes need to be stopped but most could have been handled with citations to appear in court, not an actual arrest.
As for his medals on his uniform, great job. He earned them. I personally don’t care if he wears them as earrings or sticks them on his tiddy whitey’s. If he needs to sport them to feel that “intimidation factor” let him, but I personally would much rather see them on his wall in a shadow box so that they are always preserved and protected with no chance of one falling off his uniform.
“Btw, it isn’t illegal to wear medals earned during honorable service and VA even encourages it according to what I’ve read. Morgan has done nothing wrong.”
Really Henry? Just where did you read that? You may want to actually read something instead of relying on hearsay.
“http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/corres/pdf/133401p.pdf” Try this it specifically relates to wearing of the uniform and medals.
It is DoD policy that:
3.1. The wearing of the uniform by members of the Armed Forces (including retired members and members of Reserve components) is prohibited under any of the following circumstances:
3.1.2. During or in connection with furthering political activities, private employment or commercial interests, when an inference of official sponsorship for the activity or interest may be drawn.
Sheriff Morgan may want to reconsider his position on wearing of the medals to further his political activities.
Well can tell you one thing good men don’t fall hard and John Powell is a Good man with alot of passion for his work. I know ppl that work under him in dothan and have nothing but strong things to say about this man. As for me I welcome you into Pensacola VOTE JOHN POWELL FOR SHERIFF and he will bring a whole lot more to the table alot more then 50$ LOL
We are in america people u cant fault powell til he has been proven guilty in a court of law… which he hasnt…. so get over urself… morgan knows what he is doin he is a dirty player and is tryin to eliminate an opponent who threatens him… if powell took the money knowingly the he deserves to be punished… but morgan has better things to do than be caught up in this petty stuff if he were a real sherriff he would still be focused on his JOB and would have let all thus run its course with out his extra umph
Laws of campaigning are very ambiguous meaning they aren’t always crystal clear and there are very many “loop holes”. John Powell reported every single dollar donated by supporters. If the supporter had written two $50 dollar checks instead of handing him two $50 dollar bills there would be no issue. David Morgan did the exact same thing, however when he became knowledgeable of the law instead of making it right he stabbed John Powell in the back.
David Morgan is nothing but a pathetic bully who is starting to come to the realization that he is about to get a reality check and lose his job.
John Powell will win and he will make Escambia County a much safer place!!
JOHN POWELL FOR SHERIFF!!!!!!!
Hey Henry,……..Really!
I will still vote for the best man for the job.Never was a Morgan supporter.
For all of those who think Powell walks on water—please do a little back ground research on why he left several of his other jobs. The easy way is to pull up the newspapers for the towns he was fired by or was given the choose of resigning. For get the little things like the money in this race— look at the bigger money in Dothan.
Morgan did the “dirty” politics against Ronnie Mc 4 years ago looking for dirt. I cannot stand his better than thou attitude. Remember the Billinglys’ murders?Morgan said on TV “we have a humdinger of a case here. This would make a good movie”. I feel this is one of reasons I cannot vote for Morgan. The way he treats the deputies. He takes credit for everything on TV. The “general” uniform and his Air Force ribbons, oh yea the 4 stars. Most of the former Sheriffs wore dark suits with a star on the lapel. Now he is attacking around opponent because he is afraid he is going to lose. My vote has been marked for John Russell Powell. Anyone but Morgan. Thank you.
Really? Morgan takes an oath of office to uphold the laws and some of you folks are suggesting Morgan should have looked the other way and become an accomplice? In order to help a candidate who isn’t capable of managing his campaign?
It appears you Powell supporters seem to have lost any commonsense you may have ever had.
I get that you don’t want Powell to look bad, but he’s dug himself a hole by not adhering to campaign laws, whether intentionally or not doesn’t matter. Either way, if he can’t manage his campaign he really has no business to be managing the ECSO.
Btw, it isn’t illegal to wear medals earned during honorable service and VA even encourages it according to what I’ve read. Morgan has done nothing wrong.
Powell had no real campaign platform prior to this except for his wingnut supporters using hate, fear & smear tactics against Morgan. Morgan came into office when the state & county were having money problems and Morgan had to deal with cutting the budget when he first came on board. I think he has been a good leader for the ECSO and I can’t see any reason he shouldn’t continue being Sheriff.
ok so let me get this right. people get mad when the sheriffs office or whatever dont handle a crime as it should be handled or dont arrest a person who needs to be arrested. But when omoene does do the right thing aka mr morgan you guys get mad. i mean comeone escambia county has gottenmore crimes off the street since morgan came in i like him. GO MORGAN!!!!!
The law states that if a candidate fixes the problem within a timely manner, then no crime was committed…Morgan did just that…as soon as he found out he returned the money….Powell did not do so…He only returned the money once he got caught…that’s against the law…….so if you break the law then you will have to face it……Morgan was told by a citizen about Powell’s canpaign finaces and he did what he’s paid to do..investigate……I don’t have a dog in this hunt because I live in Santa Rosa county…but it’s plain as day to me…so why do so many of you have to think that Powell should be above the law just because he is running against someone you don’t like…..Powell knew what he was doing…he got caught…plain and simple….
Just saying………….. No kin………. I live in Alabama but……… this is low life politics, you didn’t need this. Davs you could have put this off and I know you could have. You can bet on this………….This will turn on you
Mickey Powell
Flomaton Alabama (Just across the line).
i wouldn’t mind hearing from both candidates on here… Lets not play dumb, the incumbent had the man arrested just to smear his name. I would like to put my name on the ballot for sheriff. I don’t have any law enforcement experience but i know right from wrong and can follow simple rules(laws in writing).
So after the election we will most likely either have a man under an indictment or the man who turned him in. At least there was no conflict of interest.
Win/Win
Either way the winner will be well familiar wiht the laws
” Not Politically Motivated”? What a crock!
My mom always said…” do not rat on others until your own
house is in order.! Mr Morgan “Is your house in order? What “cooties” are you hiding?
I am retired Air Force, 23 years, have several medals, and dont wear them on my wlork clothes. I am proud of them, but am not bragadoucious!. Seems Mr. Morgan has a inferiority complex!
Another politician that all should vote “anybody but’, this fall!
Some one scrutinize Morgans contributer list! Is it possible to give 50 dollars now and another 50 dollars an hour later, or use a ficticious name?address?
Mr Morgan,, Are you a little paranoid or border on shady strong arm tactics?
REALLY!!! SERIOUSLY!! I’m a north end resident and even allowed Morgan to put signs on several properties and to see this WOW it has change my decision on who I vote for!!!
“Sandra on July 31st, 2012 10:59 am”
“It would seem by the comments that a vast majority approve of one circumventing election laws.”
We’re not advocating a circumvention of the law. I approve of a prosecution if the facts warrant it.
But another time comes to mind when folks were allowed to accuse someone of something and because of the accusation it automatically became true.
That’s a good way to divert attention from one’s self.
Morgan said that irregardless of his position as a candidate he was sending the information as a law enforcement officer. Here’s the test as to whether this is a political hit job or not….
“Has Morgan brought any other flagrant disregards of campaign laws to the attention of the State of Florida?”
If he has…maybe he isn’t doing this for political reasons.
If he hasn’t….it starts to sound more and more like a political hit job from the elite.
People need to free their minds….How safe are any of us if we live in a place where whenever a man/woman runs for office he or she is subjected to threats on their civil liberties? People need to wake up and remember this at the polls.
Wow! David Morgan must think he is going to lose, that is why he is trying everything he can to make John Powell look bad. John Powell for sheriff!
I see the citizens of this county are very intelligent. They see morgans actions for what they are , political desperation. Mr Powell does not take in the money an accountant does and is supposed to know the rules and tell Mr Powell of any problems. morgan turned in these same violations two other times to the elections committe and no intentional violations were found. He the called his buddy eddins who expedited a criminal case (at the tax payers cost) for election rules violations (not under his perview). Out of 30 cases only 1 count sustained. Problem is mr eddins charged the wrong statute. Also for a crime to occur you have to have intent , Mr Powell had none , therefore not guilty.He has been very open with his finance records. And who thinks a person is going to risk a violation for $30. Also if on some outside chance he was to be convivcted (misdemeanor) he could still run and serve as Sheriiff. Mr Powell has taken the high road and not used a large amount of information on morgan that would shed a dark lite on morgans character. He is running on his credentials and experience. The only thing morgan can do is use his position (hopefully not long) to go after everyone backing his opponent. Mr eddins should also look at the citizens opinion of him over this case. Not looking good come election time, I am proud to see the Citizens of this county stepping up to support an innocent man railroaded by the elite good ole boy system.
It’s like football coaches will say, “If you’re not cheating, you’re not trying.”
Apparently, it also applies to Escambia County politics. There are some laws that are so minor that people think it’s OK to break them.
Sandra, the majority of us have not fallen under the spell of Sir David. We see him for what he is. A 5 year old who should have handled this through the Elections commission.
Never trust officials in a county with SCAM in the middle !!
” It looks possible by the comments voiced on North Escambia, you now have lost voters that were previously your supporters!” Yes indeed! It would seem by the comments that a vast majority approve of one circumventing election laws. Thats a shame….I thought folks up there were raised better than that.
Take the word “that” out of the last sentence.
-Grammar Nazi
Now if we could just apply this principle to our federal government political candidates.
Oh Mr. Morgan! I fear your hasty and thoughtless action to try to make your opponent look bad to the public has back fired! Sometimes less is more and maybe there might have been a better way to handle your info. What goes around comes around so you’ve now opened up your life and career for scrutiny and speculation. It looks possible by the comments voiced on North Escambia, you now have lost voters that were previously your supporters! In a sense you sound like a child tattling to get their way! You probably need to work really hard to see if you can dig up other things on Mr. Powell now, and forget about minding the store or running a clean campaign !!!!!
Well I voting for Powell. David Morgan has to go.
I don’t like the fact that both candidates are playing politics. The smear campaign is being used by both candidates. Morgan took legal action while the majority of powells actions are through anonymous social network accounts.
So Morgan can have contract employees and pay them more than a Deputy (the front lines, with shots and fighting crime, but he will turn someone in for accepting more than $50 and waste thousands of taxes in prosecuting this before the election??? Seriously people…
Powell was charged by a grand jury of his peers of campaign law violations. Some of you feel that selective enforcement of the laws are OK, I do not. Campaign laws are there to insure that elections are carried out on a level playing field. Cheating puts an undo advantage to the cheater. If Powell cant keep track of less than 50 thousand dollars in campaign money how can we ecpect him to be the administrator of a multi million dollar budget? Morgan was found by the State Attorneys office to have not violated campaign laws. He will get my vote again
No but you can have your buddy take the charges to the grand jury expeditiously so that you can smear your opponents campaign. Morgan didnt have to do it himself. Thats what he has cronies for. If Powell knowingly broke the law then he should go to jail but I’m going to take a leap here and suggest that Mr.Powell has someone else taking care of the finances of his campaign. If he was trying to be dishonest then he wouldn’t have claimed the donations at all and he very well could have done that,which indeed would’ve made him a crook.
We(citizens)know that people are judged,convicted and sentenced in the public eye way before we actually reach a courtroom. It doesnt matter rather Mr.Powell is guilty or innocent at this point because in the public eye he is as well as guilty. He’s lose voters and votes from people that saw the news and decided they were going to change their vote to Morgan(which is why Morgan was the upstanding sheriff he wants us to believe he is). The damage has been done and what happens when the election is over and Mr.Powell lost because of this smear tactic? Does he get a do over? I think not
It doesnt matter who wins because four years from now everyone will be on here talking about how bad things are and we need change now more than ever, Yada, Yada, Yada. I will agree that the crime rate is bad ,but if you think one man can control the crime rate then you have been reading too many Marvel comics. Crime rates are up all around the country and have been since the economy tanked. People get crazy when they are broke and hungry. Couple that with the introduction of some of the synthetic drugs such as spice and bath salt’s and you have a epidemic on your hands. If you really want to fix things we have to change culture as a whole. “If you dont like something then change it”. Dont just come on here and complain. God Bless and good day.
David Morgan WAS military but when he took office as the Sheriff, he became a law enforcement officer. I would certainly hope he used his time more wisely while in the military. Really David, seriously! Are you so concerned with petty crap that you had to take away from criminal cases you could have been working on to write a letter to Bill Eddins saying “oh my goodness, Powell took to much money from some people to run his campaigne.” Does it truly matter how much a contributor gives in one lump sum or does the guidelines just need to have a person write two or three checks to the same person? It’s just a matter of saving paper when it boils down to it. We have kids being shot, drug dealers running rampant, rapist, thieves and stalkers having a hay day, people drinking, driving and running over their own moms and this is what concerned you most!? Here’s a “CLEAN SWEEP” for you: Quite whinning and trust that you may have just done the job you were appointed to well enough that people will still vote for you regardless of whether your opponent has that extra dime in their kitty. Come on! Now to help you get back on task here’s a to do list for you:
you have drunks to pull over, people cooking crack in their kitchens more than dinners, prostitutes spreading deseases faster than a pez dispenser can dispense candy, drug dealers fighting over turf, rapists planning their next victims, bullies beating up their g/f, b/f, and wives, and let’s not forget the shoplifters making our prices rise by the minute. That should keep you busy enough to do your job and not worry about nit picking your opponent. Go get em tiger.
Also its a State Attorney and Grand Jury that found evidence enough that there was a problem, NOT his opponent.
A sheriff cannot prosecute anyone!
A sheriff cannot call a grand jury together!
They must have some type of evidence that what’s claimed is actually true or they’ll suffer a hefty lawsuit!
To those that think the comments on here are suggesting that we as citizens look the other way,I can’t speak for everybody but I will say in my case that just isnt the case. I believe that if you commit a crime then you should definitely do the time(for all and not just some) but then again don’t dig up dirt on your opponent and fling it because he’s catching up with you. Morgan probably had this information and timed it to use against Powell because his lead was narrowing. From Morgan to Eddins to the grand Jury to arrest in such a short amount of time. That’s a disgrace when their are worse crimes like rape and murder that take months and sometimes years(if ever) to get the perpetrator in custody.If the swift action of the justice system worked that well all the time we’d have alot less repeat offenders out there and fugitives running around Escambia County recommitting the same crime over and over again. Again let me reiterate the fact that I never liked Morgan as a man or a sheriff but because of his actions now I dislike him even less. Sheriff Morgan if you can’t stand the heat stay out of the kitchen and fight like a man not a coward. That isn’t how military roll. They fight with integrity and honor and you sir should be ashamed of yourself..
This is very simple, DON’T TAKE THE MONEY and they’ll be no charge. Sounds like some of you have problems with the law, cops don’t make the laws legislators do so get after them.
If this guy is involved in wink and nod politics today, what will happen when he gets elected? Not to say that the other guy isn’t also involved in such politics but we’ll soon find out whether this case has actual merit. If it does, he needs to be treated like every other criminal out there that gets pulled over and disrespected by the cops.
Laws are meant to be followed, not pushed to see how close to the edge you can get!
If Morgan went through as much trouble investigating criminal activity and writing letters to attorneys about that, instead of his competition in the polls Escambia county would be a utopia for all citizens.
I never cared much for who is sheriff and who isn’t until this past year and seeing the surge in crime in our county. Anyone could do a better job at focusing our police force. I also don’t like tattle tails, Morgan clean off your own back porch before you go cleaning off your competitions. I’m sure with some digging we’d find a whole bunch on you too sir.
I’ll be voting for Mr. Powell, at least he is honest enough to have all of his financial information available for such scrutiny. How about you Mr. Morgan?
Noooo this doesn’t sound crooked at all. wow
After rebiewing all these post i think i know what tje problem is with or county and country for thay matter is. So bc someone is indicted and something bad or a crime is reported on the news.. u all make a decsion… Decisions thay effect our future… no i dont think it is ok even a $50 crime should be punoshed.. i would pinish someone for $50.. But powell has not beem convicted of anything…last time i check ..u are innocent until proven guilty.. powell cpuld just as easly write a letter and accuse morgan of something.. this is merely a smear campaiogn by morgan.. look morgans record up.. has not ever gotten a speeding ticket? Well that is breaking the law.. uet he was voted in.. so really all of us as county citizens and amerivans need to do our part in researching our poloticians and make our decisipns off what we believe is best not make decisions off who runs the best smear campaign..sorry for all the mispelling..
Reminds me of a “Dukes of Hazard” episode.
I can picture Morgan eating a pile of raw liver while ranting about his plan for his next power play.
It’s not that Morgan is such an upstanding law man. He’is scared of losing, the whole reason this was brought up. This was a mistake by Powell, not an intentional action. Morgan is no good,wears military medals on his uniform,which is more wrong than what Powell did.Bye,bye Morgan,hello Powell. Don’t forget,in a court with jurors ,he would be judged by the same people that live and vote here, I don’t believe he would be found guilty.
Someone refresh my memory – are these two clowns the only two running, or is there a challenger in the general election?
It is amazing to me how this went from a letter to an arrest so quickly! Let’s take some of that energy and focus it on cleaning up this city and cracking down on the crime that is out of control! The priorities of this office are in the wrong order! When teenagers are being shot in their front yard, that is what needs to be dealt with with all the energy and swiftness! Not voting for Morgan and probably not Powell either. I am in no way defending Powell….what he did was wrong. Something has to change with Escambia county because it is not the place it used to be.
Sheriff Morgan – Really? You’re that worried about losing that you would stoop so low as to arrest your opponent? I realize that once the State’s Attorney has the information that he has to act thru your office but it’s funny how the SA’s office came by the information…
I retired from the military (Air Force) as well. One will never see my awards or commendations flaunted or bragged about. This is what you are doing when you wear your ribbons on a civilian uniform in any form other than a patriotic event. There is no need to wear those ribbons except for self promotion and I find the act pitiful indeed.
In fact I find all of your actions in this campaign poorly thought out and executed. Is this the kind of individual that I want leading my Sheriff’s dept? No, I think not.
Don’t care, still voting for him!! David Morgan is Not a police officer, just military.I think we should be able to donate all we want!
Tattletale, negative campaign, baby, playing dirty, petty crime…
These are the comments about a sheriff that enforces the law?
Maybe he should have “looked the other way.”
That seems to be what we want…a sheriff that decides what laws to enforce and which laws to ignore. That’s the Escambia county way.
Linda Braswell on July 31st, 2012 5:00 am It is amazing over how many people are offended when an honest sheriff actually does the right thing, reports a crime, and an honest SAO does the right thing and empanels a Statutorily mandated grand jury…. I must assume that you people have never lived anywhere else and are steeped in the tradition of corruption that has been Escambia County for the past century.
Your lack of understanding of the process also underscores the poor q.uality of the Escambia educational system.
Well morgan admitted his over the limit contibutions and returned the money to the people. lol
Then our “great” SA took over and told morgan what to do to get Powell. Mickey Mouse politics from a unqualified sheriff, and his record proves just how he has done, very little!
If Powell can’t handle his election budget, how can he handle a 70 million dollar budget? Morgan is the better candidate. He is not a job hopper and he actually lives here and doesn’t claim residence with his daddy.
I suppose that if Mr Powell is elected sheriff one of the deputies could chauffer him around in a paddy wagon. You people have problems down there.
If seeing the billboards with Morgan dressed like a generalissimo, in what looks like a full military uniform it did not scare me enough, his “arresting” the competition did.
Huey P. Long would be proud of this character.
Really, is this the best we can do for a sheriff?
I was going to vote for Morgan, now I think I will vote for Powell.
The head good ole boy (eddins) is taking care of one of his kind. Powell was getting to close to morgan so the SA takes over. lol
Vote people, and remember who did what to whom, and why. In this case, qualification don,t count since morgan has none.
It is amazing over how many people are offended when an honest sheriff actually does the right thing, reports a crime, and an honest SAO does the right thing and empanels a Statutorily mandated grand jury…. I must assume that you people have never lived anywhere else and are steeped in the tradition of corruption that has been Escambia County for the past century.
Your lack of understanding of the process also underscores the poor q.uality of the Escambia educational system.
Sad.
I voted for you last time Morgan, not this time!
No way! That’s dirty pool right there. Looks like the incumbent set him up to me. Sorry General, you’re humdinger time is over! Still voting for JP.
This is the same guy that the judges had to run off at the pickup point at the civic center for potential Jurors. He is under handed at the least!!!! He tried to sway the thinking of alot of us. Muammar Al Gaddafi in Pensacola!!!
Is this America or what Mr. Morgan, ya accused McNesby of the same thing four years ago. Now ya have turned coat on your own… Think ya know he`ll beat ya!! Guess anything for a vote hu??? Do you think we can trust someone that is trying to start a dictatorship. You are as guilty as anyone. Everything comes out in the wash Mr. Morgan. No Muammar Al Gaddafi needed for Escambia County!!! What or who do ya REALLY think you are??? I would hate to be one of your deputies having to work under your rule!!!!
The law is the law people, ooops, sorry I forgot I was in Escambia county. There is no law for some thinkers.
If this was really a political move he didn’t think it through very well. Arresting the guy running against you never looks good. Maybe he really is just trying to do his job. Maybe he’s better than I thought.
Wow…really David Morgan are you that scared of losing your precious title? #pensacola @votejohnpowell for Sheriff! We need a change now more than ever!!
A law is a law. Should a law breaker be in charge of the law? If one is going to uphold the law, shouldn’t they also obey the law…..big or small?
How desperate obviously morgan is worried he wont win again! Im glad morgan got mcnesby out but now its his turn to go.
clean sweep is code enforcements job not the cops, they have better things to do than pick up trash!
also morgan flaunts his military status and has no cop experience!
@Julie
I like your thinking.
@julie dont make it something it isnt. Yeah he broke the law but morgan did as well. He just has the connections to weazle out of it! He reported it for christs sake. Vote powell vote powell vote powell…or anyone that runs against this pitiful non police officer background of an excuse we have for a sheriff!
Well said Julie!
Well that’s one way to get rid of your running mate. I never liked Morgan and dislike him even more now for playing dirty.
We should presume Powell is innocent. Especially since the State’s Attorney first learned of these accusations from his buddy Sheriff Morgan who just happens to be Powell’s political opponent. Sounds highly probable that Powell is innocent.
Re-read your comments, please.
Sounds like many of you are willing to let a white-collar crime go unpunished, based on your political allegiances. That is how corruption begins. Unfair enforcement of existing laws, & special protections for certain citizens.
I suspect many of you would be among the first to applaud arrests for small amounts of controlled substances, petty shoplifting, or a non-violent, consenting adults-only prostitution bust.
How many of you still believe that Richard Nixon wasn’t a crook?
I still support Powell, the whining baby of a Sheriff we have now has got to go.
Another petty arrest, let’s congratulate Sheriff Morgan!!! Yeah not!!! Voting for Powell, even if he is a convict now!! Lol!! This is the third Petty act I have read in the paper on the part of Sheriff Morgan!! Seriously enough!
Seems like our sheriff must be worried about the competition since he’s spending so much energy trying to disqualify them. Negative campaigns suggests we should look for a different candidate.
I guess in reading all of the posts that breaking a law is okay, rationalization .. It was only a little law. Let me see if I understand your point of view … It is okay to have a Sheriff that intentionally breaks the law, when you are going to elect him to uphold the laws. Excuse me, I really don’t understand that logic. Or maybe the real issue is .. If he can break a law, then so can I.
Its not like Powell was trying to hide money. He reported it. If these contributors would have wrote a check, everything would be ok. Morgan has tied the hands of our deputies for long enough. Report a crime and see what happens, nothing unless your David Morgan.
I know deputies at the sheriffs office who deal with this type of stuff everyday. The deputies haven’t had a raise in 7 years yet Morgan gave 3 secretaries raises between 5000-8000 ??????? He also takes credit for desk to road patrols and community redevelopment patrols that the form sheriff had implemented. Morgan has given his chief deputy a 51,000 raise yet the deputies who work the so called low crimes we have get nothing. I feel for my buddies and after talking to them and seeing that a cash donation of more than $50 is a bigger crime to sheriff Morgan than all these drug dealers, murders and such well I know i have no confidence in him. To all you deputies out there keep your head up and watch your backs.
This is just dumb I think we know who is the real good ol boy now. It is time for a change.
This has two implications: 1) takes Powell out of the race, thus eliminating the competition; and, 2) possible crime of ‘moral turpitude’ causing Powell to lose his law enforcement credentials in FL, if convicted.
oh give me a break!50 bucks…really?Something stinks here and it dont smell like Powell
Of course they found no fault in David “crook” Morgan because he is currently the high and mighty. Remember when the chief at Flomaton was in all that trouble? It wasn’t until he got fired that he got arrested. The system is corrupt big time and Morgan needs to go and can take all the little buttons he has with him!
so that means that our current sherriff is a tattle tail…who knew that was a handy trait with getting crime off the streets…real crime, ya know, not something serious like $30, but maybe murders…drugs…prostitution…rape…theft…just to name a few.
This ticks me off!! Morgan needs to go after the criminals and fight his own little petty fights on his own time. Powell gets my vote!
From looking at some of the bonds set lately for crimes, it could not be much more that a penny for him to get out.
Hallboy for setting bonds that fit the crime.
Who cares if he took donations for his campaign? He wasnt stealing money. I really dont understand this!!!!! Maybe if Morgan was less involved in picking about a donations ordeal the last few unsolved shootings could be under control. The entire justice system needs to be tossed and started over!!!
And crime has gone threw the roof since Morgan has been elected. Powell gets my vote
Wow, I concur with both previous posters. Arrested over this trivial garbage and dead beats abound??? Whew… I guess my dad was right…
This is one reason why highly qualified people steer clear of elected office
We are behind you John, now more than ever!!!
Why are dead beat parents that do not and will not pay child support or provide medical for their children? But worried about his competition? Hmmm lost my vote, I think there are more important and real criminal activity that his attention should focus on!
Wow is our sheriff that afraid of losing to this man? I was a Morgan supporter but I am second guessing that now.