Polk sheriff candidate fueled by complaints about law enforcement

Lina PortmanMay 31, 2024

105 4 minutes read

A Frostproof man has filed a lawsuit against Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, citing what he says are examples of mistreatment by law enforcement as motivation.

Theodore “Pink Tie” Murray ran in the November election as a nonpartisan candidate against Judd, a Republican. Judd, who is seeking a sixth four-year term, has faced no opponents in the last two elections.

Murray, 46, ran for the House of Representatives in District 17 in the last two elections, receiving less than 2 percent of the vote each time.

In discussing why he came forward, Murray described three episodes — two in Polk County — in which he claims law enforcement wrongly arrested him or failed to properly investigate the crimes of which he was a victim.

In the most recent case, Murray claims longtime associates forged deeds to gain ownership of his properties in Frostproof and Gulf County in 2022. He has filed complaints in both counties, but claims the The Polk County Sheriff's Office has not charged the alleged perpetrators, despite what happened. he says the evidence is abundant.

Murray, a construction contractor, shared copies of deeds transferring ownership of Polk County properties, with signatures that appear noticeably different from his signatures on other documents. Murray said the case was assigned to three detectives.

Scott Wilder, a spokesman for the Polk County Sheriff's Office, said investigators spent a lot of time on the case, which remains open, but did not find probable cause to pursue criminal charges. He said a review by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement of the allegedly falsified documents was inconclusive.

The parties who took control of the properties claim Murray signed over permission to them, which he denies. Wilder said Murray could take civil action.

Murray said he was the victim of an arson and theft in 2019 involving his property in Frostproof. He said thieves broke into a safe, stealing guns, a gold ring, 2,000 ounces of silver and other items. He said the Polk County Sheriff's Office investigated with “minimal effort at best.”

Franklin County incident

The other episode that partly fueled Murray's desire to run for sheriff began in 2022 with a police incident in Franklin County in the Panhandle. In Murray's description, he was heading toward Port St. Joe when three unknown vehicles surrounded him and began slowing down as if to make him stop.

Murray said he escaped the vehicles and fled in search of a law enforcement officer to report the incident. When he arrived in Apalachicola, he stopped behind a police vehicle and turned on his lights to get the officer's attention, he said.

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An arrest report from the Franklin County Sheriff's Office gives this version of events: At approximately 1:50 a.m. on June 19, 2022, an officer noticed a truck approaching him from behind at such a high speed that he feared the truck would hit his vehicle. The officer accelerated several times to avoid an impact before stopping and ordering the truck driver to stop as another officer arrived.

Murray made strange statements and the first officer asked him if he had been drinking. Noticing that Murray's eyes were “watering” and his speech seemed slurred, the officer asked him to take field sobriety tests, which Murray refused.

When Murray refused orders to leave the vehicle, an officer handcuffed him and the two officers eventually removed him from the truck. Officers found two loaded handguns in Murray's vehicle, along with two boxes of ammunition, $6,843 in cash and “a green leafy substance that appeared to be marijuana by appearance and smell.”

Murray said he had a concealed carry permit for weapons. He was charged with dangerous driving, resisting a police officer without violence and possession of more than 20 grams of cannabis.

Murray claimed the officer provided no reason for the initial arrest and questioned why his body camera did not capture the entire incident. The officer wrote that he didn't turn the camera on at first because he was focused on Murray.

Psychiatric internment

Court records show that in July 2022, a doctor deemed Murray incompetent to proceed with pretrial hearings and in need of treatment. He was committed to Florida State Hospital, a psychiatric facility in Chattahoochee.

Murray claimed that in Chattahoochee he was mistreated and beaten by security guards. After his release, court records show Murray was convicted of reckless driving and resisting arrest and sentenced to just over a year, with time served.

The unauthorized transfer of his assets took place while he was incarcerated, Murray said. He said the perpetrators handed over the property to their relatives and now live in his former home in Frostproof.

Polk County court records show Murray was arrested for voyeurism in 2003, which resulted in misdemeanor probation.

“Someone who has been wronged by the system”

Along with these personal experiences, Murray sharply criticized Judd in explaining his decision to run for sheriff. He blamed the longtime sheriff for many reasons: failing to order dash cameras and body cameras for deputies, issuing harsh opinions about suspects in news conferences that damage their reputation even s 'They are not condemned and have created a culture of excessive violence on the part of MPs.

“Who better to represent the people than someone who has been wronged by the system and who seeks to make sure that other people are not wronged by the system, that they are not murdered, that they are attacked fraudulently, have their stuff stolen?'” Murray said.

Lina Portman

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