Former
Brooksville lawman arrested again
Had enough? Write to the Speaker of the House, U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, DC 20515 and demand federal
hearings into the police problem in America.
Demand mandatory body cameras for cops, one strike rule on abuse, and a
permanent DOJ office on Police
Misconduct.
He
told her he still loved her, but his object of affection had filed an
injunction against him, according to an arrest warrant.
Bryan
Drinkard's message to his ex-girlfriend landed him in jail for the third time
in less than three weeks, deputies said.
The
Hernando County Sheriff's Office arrested Drinkard shortly after 9 p.m. Tuesday
on a charge of violating a dating violence injunction.
Drinkard,
44, a former Brooksville police detective and corrections officer at the
Hernando County Jail, was scheduled to be transferred Wednesday to a facility
in Sumter County, said Lt. Cinda Moore, a sheriff's spokeswoman. He is being
held without bail.
Deputies
said a woman received a letter in the mail Saturday without a return label.
Inside the envelope was one of the accuser's personal stationary cards, which
she keeps in a drawer next to her bed, according to the warrant.
The
inside of the card included the words, "I love you" and a pet name
Drinkard had used for her during their relationship, deputies said.
The
woman also gave a sworn statement alleging the card contained Drinkard's
handwriting.
The
warrant for Drinkard's arrest was issued Saturday, but Drinkard was not located
until Tuesday night. He was arrested at a house off Preston Road near
Brooksville, according to jail records.
On
March 9, deputies arrested Drinkard on charges of burglary, grand theft and
stalking. Those charges were linked to allegations made by Tiffany Still, a
former girlfriend.
The
sheriff's office has not released details because the investigation remains
open.
Five
days after his Hernando arrest, Drinkard was jailed on a count of forgery. The
charge was filed by his former employer, the Brooksville Police Department.
The
forgery case was related to allegations Drinkard took business envelopes and
letterhead from the Law Offices of James Martin Brown. He was accused of
signing the letters and using a signatory stamp belonging to Brown, who had
been representing him.
Drinkard
did not have permission to use the letters or stamp, authorities said.
Police
said Drinkard used the forged letters to make a public records request. He had
been seeking information about Still, who works as an administrative assistant
at the police department, according to reports.
Drinkard
was fired Feb. 29 after turning in his agency-issued .45-cal. Glock handgun in
the lobby of the police station. Video surveillance showed him walking into the
building holding the gun in his right hand with his finger on the trigger.
He
laid down the weapon on a counter in the lobby. The counter was close to
Still's work station. She sat at her desk minutes after Drinkard turned in his
weapon and left. She and another administrator immediately notified the chief
about the abandoned gun, according to an agency inquiry.
Chief
George Turner told Drinkard earlier that week he had been suspended with pay
after an internal affairs investigation was opened against him.
Drinkard
had been investigated and disciplined numerous times in the four years he was
employed at the police department.
He
previously worked more than a decade at the Manatee County Sheriff's office, at
which time he was investigated 44 times. He was forced to retire in 2003 after
being arrested on a stalking charge, according to public records.
He
was acquitted a year later. His accuser was a former girlfriend.
