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From : alapoet
Added: May 10, 2008
http://realitycatcher-alapoet.blogspot.com/ November 18, 2006 Officer in Lisa Tanner jail case charged with perjury By KENYA WOODARD Staff Writer PALM COAST -- The Flagler Beach police officer whose arrest of State Attorney John Tanner's daughter Lisa in March 2005 led to a controversial probe into allegations of inmate abuse at the Flagler County jail has been charged with perjury. According to a Flagler Beach police report this month, Nathaniel Juratovac was charged with felony perjury and misdemeanor falsifying police reports after an internal investigation by North Miami Beach-based private investigator Pat Franklin. "My investigation has found at least nine counts of perjury by contradictory statements ... at least six counts of false reports of commission of crimes," Franklin said in an affidavit. It was Juratovac's arrest of Lisa Tanner in March 2005 that led to her being strapped into a restraint chair at the jail and eventually to the current battle between John Tanner and Jacksonville-based State Attorney Harry Shorstein. Shorstein is investigating John Tanner's probe of the Flagler jail. Flagler Beach Police Chief Roger Free hired Franklin in June to investigate Juratovac's conduct in the November 2005 arrest of Lisa Tanner and Michael McGuirk, who was charged with aggravated assault. During a telephone interview Thursday, Juratovac said the charges against him are the result of Franklin's "completely one-sided" investigation. Juratovac, 34, said Free told him he would be able to give Franklin his own statement. "I was assured by my chief that I would be questioned on this investigation, but I wasn't," he said. "I feel betrayed." Free was not available for comment Friday. When asked to comment, John Tanner's spokeswoman, Linda Pruitt, said Friday: "It's our understanding that the chief is working with another agency in that matter and it's an ongoing investigation." Juratovac has been on paid administrative leave since May after a Flagler County grand jury -- convened by Polk County based State Attorney Jerry Hill -- criticized Juratovac's actions during Lisa Tanner's November 2005 arrest. That grand jury dropped charges against Lisa Tanner and McGuirk in the November 2005 arrests. The March 2005 charges against Lisa Tanner were dropped by 18th Judicial Circuit State Attorney Norman Wolfinger. According to an affidavit filed with the Flagler County Clerk of Courts, Franklin's investigation focused on a complaint filed by McGuirk's mother. Franklin said in his report he found "ample evidence" to support McGuirk's mother's claims of Juratovac's "untruthfulness" when he testified during McGuirk's violation of probation hearing in February. The case is now being investigated by Hill's office because it is related to Lisa Tanner's November 2005 arrest, Hill spokesman Chip Thullberry said Friday. In May, two Flagler County jail guards were indicted by the grand jury on charges they mistreated her during her March 2005 arrest. Juratovac, who makes $27,664, was not indicted by the grand jury. But the grand jury blasted his conduct during the November arrest and asked John Tanner to dismiss all criminal cases based on Juratovac's testimony. Tanner later announced his office would dismiss all pending criminal cases based or dependent on Juratovac's testimony. Meanwhile, Juratovac has filed a motion in Flagler County Circuit Court asking that his name be stricken from the Flagler County grand jury's report. Greg Brennan, Juratovac's attorney, said Thursday the officer's name should be removed from the grand jury's report because he was not presented with a copy of the report or given a chance to respond to it. "It should not have been released without giving him a chance to dispute the allegations," he said. "The remedy now is (Juratovac's name) should be stricken." http://www.news-journalonline.com/special/flaglerpolice/frtHEAD01111806.htm
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