The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has just released a videotape that shows an altercation between guards at a North Florida bootcamp where a 14-year-old boy died.

The Miami Herald and CNN sued for the release of the video, and this newspaper plans to post the videotape online at MiamiHerald.com as soon as possible.

The Medical Examiner in Panama City ruled that teenager Martin Lee Anderson died of natural causes and not from the altercation with guards, adding that the youth suffered from a genetic blood disorder, sickle cell trait, that caused him to bleed to death.

Nevertheless, the tape -- viewed by two veteran South Florida lawmakers -- has raised questions about the treatment of detainees at the Bay Sheriff's Office Boot Camp.

Martin died Jan. 6, hours after he was restrained by guards. Legislators Gus Barreiro and Dan Gelber -- a Republican and Democrat respectively -- told The Miami Herald last week after seeing the video of the incident that officers at times punched, kicked and choked Martin. They said a nurse on the compound appeared to wait 20 minutes before seeking medical aid, even though Martin appeared to be in distress.

Now the U.S. attorney for North Florida and the Justice Department are launching a civil rights investigation.

This week black lawmakers called on Gov. Jeb Bush and his youth corrections agency to shut down the boot camp.

Martin stopped breathing shortly after drill instructors at the Panama City boot camp attempted to restrain him. Officials at the boot camp, which operates under contract with the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice, said Martin was not cooperating with demands to perform strenuous exercises.

The FDLE, which has jurisdiction across Florida, is overseeing the criminal investigation and will report its findings to the state attorney's office for the 14th Judicial Circuit in the Panhandle.

The Department of Juvenile Justice, which pays the Bay County sheriff to operate the boot camp, also is conducting an investigation into agency policies and procedures and overseeing the conduct of the boot camp's staff.

Seven officers and drill instructors who were involved in the Jan. 5 incident are still working for the Bay County Sheriff's Office, with full pay. They have, however, been placed on ''no-contact'' status -- meaning no contact with youth at the camp until the investigations have been completed.

email this

print this

reprint or license this