When Gregory Tony applied to be a cop in 2005, he was asked in his application if he had ever been detained, arrested or charged, even as a juvenile.
No, no and no, he answered on the application.
But, a 1993 Philadelphia police homicide report naming him as the suspect in the shooting death of an 18-year-old man he was arguing with suggests he should have answered yes, yes and yes.
The report, which Tony's campaign released after it was obtained and reported on by the Miami Herald, said Tony was "arrested" after he turned himself into police the morning after the killing. Tony denied he had ever been arrested as recently as last week, during an interview with NBC 6.
The report said his arrest warrant was for "charges of murder" and firearm-related crimes.
And it said he was held in lieu of $15,000 bond.
Arrested.
Local
Charged.
And detained.
The case wound up in juvenile court and Tony was found not guilty by a judge after Tony's attorney argued the then-14-year-old killed in self defense.
His campaign said it was "happy" the report was disclosed because it confirmed he was acquitted by a judge.
But, it did not address why the sheriff failed to reveal that history when applying to be a police officer. In Florida, sealed, expunged and juvenile records are revealed to police agencies when they seek criminal arrest histories of applicants.
As he campaigns to be elected to the position Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed him to in January, Tony can expect opponents to exploit the issue, but Nova Southeastern University law professor Bob Jarvis said the allegation is minor compared to other Broward sheriffs' digressions.
"So on a scale of one to 10, if you’re looking at the history of the Broward sheriffs, maybe this is a two," said Jarvis, who co-authored "Out of the Muck," a history of the county's sheriffs.
It's a history replete with racism, federal crimes, gambling and mob connections.
Jarvis said Tony, like his predecessor Scott Israel - who was suspended by DeSantis and removed from office over his handling of the Parkland massacre - is "not fit for the job and it's not because he did or didn’t say something on a particular form."
He said Tony lacks the political chops necessary for the job, which he describes as 99 percent politics and one percent law enforcement.
"He’s in over his head and he easily gets flustered and then when he does he lashes out," Jarvis said.
Israel's campaign, poised to face off with Gregory and others in the August 18 Democratic primary, declined to comment.
