Liberty County Sheriff Nick Finch
Local news reports
A North Florida jury on Thursday acquitted suspended Liberty County Sheriff Nick Finch of official misconduct and falsifying public records in a case that roiled gun-rights supporters and reached Gov. Rick Scott’s office.
Scott, who has been under fire from Second Amendment backers since he suspended Finch on June 4, quickly reinstated the sheriff Thursday afternoon. The criminal charges and suspension came after a Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigation concluded that the sheriff released a local man, Floyd Eugene Parrish, who had been arrested for carrying a concealed weapon, and that Finch destroyed or altered records of the arrest. But a jury in the rural community west of Tallahassee reached a verdict within 90 minutes to acquit Finch, 51, who was engulfed with hugs and handshakes from family members and supporters who crowded the courtroom. Nevertheless, the guy he released was a convicted felon arrested with a gun. The good sheriff said he wouldn't enforce laws against folks he deemed "good people just minding their own business." And somehow the paperwork conveniently disappeared. The prosecutors suggested the reason for his actions was to repay a powerful local family for their support in getting him re-elected. I'll put Sheriff Finch down as a minor entry on the list that includes O.J. Simpson and George Zimmerman. What do you think?
