Prison officials said Jacksonville police declined to pick up Morris when he was released six months later.
Jacksonville Sheriff John Rutherford issued a statement Wednesday evening saying two of the worthless check warrants were for misdemeanors, but that a third was a felony warrant.
Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Lauri-Ellen Smith said officials are trying to determine if the third warrant was properly coded as a felony and, if so, why it was overlooked. She declined to describe the normal procedure for responding to such a felony warrant.
“Did we respond appropriately? That's what we're looking into,” she said.
Meanwhile, the state said it did everything it was supposed to do in the case.
As prisoners' release dates approach, the state routinely searches all law enforcement databases for outstanding warrants, prison spokeswoman Jo Ellyn Rackleff said. If warrants are found, the appropriate agencies are contacted.
“We contacted Duval County and they decided not to pick him up, issue a detainer or extradite,” Rackleff said.
Once Morris' release date arrived without those requested actions from Jacksonville, the prison system adhered to mandated procedure, Rackleff said.
“We followed our protocol and we were required to release him.”
Rackleff said she could not comment when asked if it would be unusual for Jacksonville police — or any law enforcement agency — to pick up an inmate for a misdemeanor warrant. Statistics on the practice were not immediately available, she said.
But former 4th Circuit Public Defender Bill White of Jacksonville said it would be “unusual” for police to commit resources to detaining someone wanted for a misdemeanor charge like passing worthless checks.
“In my experience, it was rare that they would pick someone up for a misdemeanor regardless of what it was,” White said of law enforcement agencies in Northeast Florida.
The only time misdemeanor suspects would be detained in such cases is if they were also suspected in an unsolved homicide or other major crime, White said, in which case the warrant becomes a means to detain the inmate for further investigation.
On the other hand, they routinely picked up released inmates who had outstanding felony warrants, White added.
In addition to the bad check charge, Morris' criminal background includes various drug charges, possession of drug paraphernalia and one charge of obstructing or opposing an officer without violence.
There is also some question about the worthless check charge against Morris.
The Jacksonville case involved three bad checks written at different Publix stores on the Westside.
State Attorney Angela Corey told the Times-Union Tuesday the checks written on April 15, 18 and 22 in 2008 were in Morris' name and had an address in the 2200 block of Beaver Street that is not a residence. Information used to cash the checks used Morris' date of birth.
But state records show Morris was in prison at the time the checks were written. Corey said the checks may have been counterfeited.
She said investigators had not found another address for Morris or record of his arrest in Jacksonville.
Tampa police said Officer Curtis pulled over a Toyota Camry about 2:15 a.m. Tuesday because it didn't have a visible tag, The Associated Press reported. He called for backup because the male suspect had a misdemeanor warrant.
Police received a 911 call a few minutes later reporting the officers had been shot.
The St. Petersburg Times reports that funeral services will be held 10 a.m. Saturday at Idlewild Baptist Church. |
