ST. LUCIE COUNTY, Fla. — On Monday, we made our latest attempt to talk with St. Lucie County Sheriff Keith Pearson. This time in light of criticism from the man who prosecutes the people Pearson arrests.
State Attorney Thomas Bakkedahl is taking issue with the way Pearson runs his office. He wrote in the TC Palm that the sheriff's office "is perceived to be run like a frat house replete with gang signs, shameless self-promotion, and the constant search for clickbait."
He also took issue with the sheriff’s "lack of transparency" and questions of integrity and credibility.
My fellow reporters and I at WPTV have been trying to get answers to tough questions that we wanted to ask Pearson since he took office last fall. In addition to several calls, we made 14 public records requests. While the office gave us some responses, four requests were not acknowledged.
Barbara Petersen is the executive director of the Florida Center for Government Accountability.
“I’ve been hearing more recently of agencies not even acknowledging a public records request,” she said. “So, they just ignore your request. That’s a violation of law.”
I’ve been trying to interview the sheriff since January over the videos posted on social media.
One drew criticism from the president of the St. Lucie County's NAACP.
"Dehumanizing and racist," Aisha Nash said of the videos back in February.
Pearson repeatedly turned down my requests to get a response.
"I've got another appointment I’ve got to run to. I'll catch up to you later," Pearson told me.
Bakkedahl was out of town but by phone he told me he that while he endorses sheriff Pearson's August primary opponent, the state attorney hopes St. Lucie County understands the seriousness of his warnings.
