Former Fla. top law enforcement officer to oversee cold cases
PANAMA CITY, Fla. (AP) The state's former top law enforcement officer has been hired to oversee cold case squads in six counties, a month after he resigned following criticism of his personal involvement into the investigation of a teenager's death.
Guy Tunnell is joining the State Attorney's Office of the 14th Judicial Circuit as a coordinator of cold case squads, the office said Tuesday.
``His 33 years of law enforcement experience is too valuable to let any short-term political considerations interfere with what is the most effective program for our citizens,'' State Attorney Steve Meadows said.
Tunnell resigned as commissioner of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement last month amid criticism over his handling of the investigation into 14-year-old Martin Lee Anderson's death.
The teen had been roughed up by guards in a videotaped scuffle at a Panama City juvenile boot camp founded by Tunnell when he was Bay County sheriff.
An autopsy later determined Anderson died because the boot camp deputies suffocated him. The investigation is continuing.
Tunnell sent e-mails to the current Bay County sheriff criticizing those who questioned the effectiveness of military-style boot camps. He also compared the Rev. Jesse Jackson to outlaw Jesse James and U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., to terrorist Osama bin Laden at an agency meeting preparing for protests over Anderson's death.
In the interest of timeliness, this story is fed directly from the Associated Press newswire and may contain occasional typographical errors.