There is an interesting case out of St. Cloud, Florida where a woman is charged with hitting another woman who she believed is having an affair with her husband. That is unfortunately not uncommon. However, the attacker is police officer deputy sheriff Edeania Nettles and the victim is another officer, Jennifer Hoyos, and the husband is police sergeant, Elbert John Nettles. It was the charge that I found interesting in this case.
Nettles, 39, reportedly followed her husband to a park where she spotted him chatting with Hoyos, 26. She is accused of dragging Hoyos out of a car and pulling a large clump of her hair out of her head. She is also accused of hitting her on the side of the head.
The beat down happened around midnight while Hoyos was on duty and in uniform. Needles was therefore charged with battery on a law enforcement officer. It is an interesting charge since she was not attacking an officer but the supposed lover of her husband. It is a more serious charge than simple battery. Battery on a law enforcement officer can be charged as a “3rd degree felony, punishable by up to 5 years in prison and $5,000 in fines.”
There is no heat of passion exception or special circumstances for a crime when all of those involved are officers. Thus, if a fight erupts at the station at the cafeteria or next to the water cooler, is it charged as battery on an officer? If both are at fault, do both get charged with battery on an officer?
Fire the guy. Keep both women on the force. If the guy cheats on his wife he is likely to lie on police reports. Next thing you know some jury will vote not guilty on a drunk driver and the judge will castigate the jury for being like the O.J. Simpson jury. Oh, that was in Texas. This is Florida. Oh, why is Fl always in the news on this blog. It is Florida, Texas and lately New Mexico. No other states have such goofy cops and judges.
Come on…. Now that’s funny…. Cat fight in the park… Around midnight….
the made for tv movie will be on cmt by february.
“Oh what a tangled web we weave, When first we practise to deceive!” – Sir Walter Scott
“Catfight!!”
More proof that officers are never above being people, but often they are above the law.
But not always.
I think Edeania’s case (simple assault) should be handled in “her private capacity”, that is as a misdemeanor, rather than as a case of “assaulting an officer”, a potential felony.
Additionally, all three of them should be dealt with in their official capacity by an internal investigation as to their fitness to remain a LEO.
I have zero sympathy. No one has any business responding to jealousy with violence. Second, why didn’t the wife attack the person who actually owed her some kind of fidelity?
Tacky.
What happens among the “brotherhood” should stay among the “brotherhood”. er…..”sisterhood” too.
Boy do I feel sorry for Edeania. This is totally a crime of passion. Jealously as we all know can be deadly. I think she should be given a light sentence. I bet a lot of people are laughing at them on the job which I hate. Other peoples problems are always funny.
Of course, we have no idea how this will be handled by the prosecutor’s office or the Sheriff’s Department. I do know that if these officers worked for our local sheriff, all three of them would be on unpaid administrative leave just long enough for their termination paperwork to be completed.
One thing making it a career-ender in law enforcement; if it is treated as domestic violence, or as assault and battery, the violator is prohibited from owning a firearm if convicted.
As for prosecution, seems to me that none of them were acting in an official capacity. Furthermore, I think we can be certain that none of the actions involved are in the department policy and procedures manual.