Two viral posts from St. Lucie County sheriff attract federal attention

Lina Portman4 weeks ago

7 4 minutes read

ST. LUCIE COUNTY — Controversial viral social media posts by Sheriff Keith Pearson and his office have caught the attention of U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida Markenzy Lapointe, according to letters between the two officials, obtained by TCPalm .

Lapointe urged Pearson to reconsider his messages, including one that the federal prosecutor called “troubling.” For his part, Pearson responded, telling Lapointe that he disagreed and indicating that the publications were unlikely to stop.

A phone call led to letters

The exchanges began with a telephone call on April 8 from Lapointe to Pearson. The two men had first met a few months earlier, at a Jan. 4 law enforcement coordination meeting in Fort Pierce. That meeting took place about a month after Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Pearson as St. Lucie County sheriff.

In his subsequent letter, Lapointe said that during the April 8 call, he contacted “discreetly, by telephone, Sheriff Pearson regarding certain events.” On April 10, Sheriff's Office General Counsel JD Small emailed Lapointe, referring to the call, writing that Lapointe had expressed concerns about the social media posts and asked for recommendations specific.

“We would be interested in your written recommendations regarding the need for changes to policies or procedures within our agency,” Small wrote.

U.S. Attorney Says Messages Were Disturbing and Unproductive

Lapointe's office responded May 6 with a five-page letter detailing the U.S. attorney's concerns about Pearson's messages and their potential impacts on trust between police and the community.

First, Lapointe cited a Facebook post in February in which Pearson discussed the arrest of a suspect accused of reaching speeds in excess of 160 mph in a stolen vehicle. The video shows the handcuffed suspect standing still and leaning against the vehicle while Pearson speaks to the camera.

The video was later posted to TikTok, where it has been viewed more than 5.7 million times.

Lapointe's letter included a link to the Facebook post and a photo of Pearson crouching down to take a selfie with the handcuffed suspect.

Several people in the community expressed concerns about the post, Lapointe wrote, including members of his staff.

“Although I do not know whether the arrested person was conscious or not, his general appearance was one of total submission. This disturbing image makes it appear as if the sheriff is posing with an antelope he has just shot during a 'a safari,' wrote Lapointe. “An arrest is not the appropriate time for an unauthorized selfie with an arrested person.”

Lapointe said he did not contact Pearson after the publication, but only did so after a “concerning” subsequent publication.

The letter includes a screenshot of this second message, which focuses on two deputies standing in front of a television screen that reads “HIDTA,” an acronym for High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas, a federally funded program in which the sheriff's office participates.

The background music, added to the video before it was posted to the sheriff's office's official account, included what Lapointe called “inappropriate language, including the use of racially insensitive references.” The song was from Jay Z and Kanye West's 2011 album Watch the Throne.

In a section of the letter linking the impacts of the two messages, Lapointe writes that “these messages make the work of law enforcement more difficult and can tarnish our credibility.”

“Taking this photo and posting it on social media and on the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office website cannot in any way help us in our efforts to build and maintain our credibility with all communities that we watch and serve,” Lapointe wrote of the first message.

In response to Small's request for recommendations, Lapointe declined to provide details.

“As I mentioned to the sheriff during our call, it is not my place to tell another agency how to run its affairs. That was never the purpose of my call,” Lapointe wrote. “Rather, the purpose of my call was to remind the sheriff that none of us want our actions to unintentionally upset and/or alienate segments of the community.”

Pearson said he used social media for transparency and deterrence

On May 10, Pearson sent a one-page response, via Small. This largely dismissed Lapointe's concerns.

“As Sheriff of St. Lucie County, I felt it appropriate to formally respond to your letter dated May 6, 2024,” Pearson’s letter begins. “This sheriff and this sheriff's office will continue to arrest criminals. We will continue to enforce state and federal laws.”

Pearson, echoing what Small said in the initial email, said his use of social media is an example of transparency with the community.

“We will engage the public, as we always have, to educate them about our efforts, techniques and operations – to build on the decades-old foundation of trust already established here in St. Lucie County ” Pearson wrote. “And, in an effort to be completely transparent, we will continue to shine a light on criminals and crimes in order to deter those who plan to break our laws from doing so, in our community.”

In direct response to Lapointe's assertion that the first message “can in no way assist our efforts to build and maintain our credibility,” Pearson made his views clear.

“I totally disagree with your statement,” Pearson wrote. “Recording and posting videos of arrested criminals will, in real time, deter others from engaging in illegal activity and show those who question our credibility that we mean business.”

Pearson concluded with even tougher language on crime, after thanking Lapointe.

“My only request to you and your office is, once we have arrested them, to prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law,” Pearson wrote.

More:The timeline shows the events leading up to Keith Pearson's appointment as sheriff, the aftermath after

More:In historic move, St. Lucia deputies union supports Chief Del Toro over Sheriff Pearson

The public prosecutor also criticizes the posts

The letter from the region's top federal prosecutor came after its chief prosecutor, State Attorney Tom Bakkedahl, endorsed Pearson's main opponent in the primary election, acting Port St. Lucie police chief , Richard Del Toro. In a column for TCPalm, Bakkedahl referenced Pearson's use of social media.

Lina Portman

Related Articles

Launch of an initiative for Switzerland to support the ban on nuclear weapons

Suspected Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann charged with two more murders

Deputy-involved shooting in downtown Augusta leaves three injured

DVIDS – Images – South Carolina National Guard tests next-generation squad weapons [Image 4 of 10]