No reaction from Governor DeSantis, FDLE about Marceno video: “Commit a crime in Lee County and your a– will get beat.”

Sheriff Carmine Marceno is producing videos inside the Lee County Sheriff’s Office you are not allowed to see. We continue to push for transparency from LCSO after WINK News Investigative Reporter Céline McArthur uncovered a video where Marceno talks about beating people.

“Jumpsuits are red, justice is sweet, commit a crime in Lee County and your ass will get beat.” Sheriff Carmine Marceno, Lee County Sheriff’s Office

Céline received the video from a source concerned about your safety and safeguarding your rights. She continues our exclusive investigation and shows you why the Sheriff could face a legal battle over his message.

A message from Lee County’s top cop to… whom?

“Jumpsuits are red, justice is sweet, commit a crime in Lee County and your ass will get beat,” said Marceno.

Marceno won’t tell me why he recorded it or who it was for, but in a Facebook response to my story, he claimed, “In the Public Affairs Office, we run several, if not dozens of scripts for videos.”

I asked for those videos. In an emailed statement, LCSO replied, “The Public Information Office does not retain footage other than what is posted on any of our social media platforms… all unused portions of footage are purged.”

This eight-second Marceno message is not on his social media but was shared, because we have it.

Rejected by TikTok?

To gauge public response, I uploaded the video to TikTok, where the Sheriff posts a lot of videos of himself. TikTok immediately took it down for violating its community guidelines but didn’t offer a specific explanation.

“That tells you that the behavior or the words are unacceptable and that people don’t want to hear that anymore,” said Dave Thomas.

Thomas is a retired police officer, a senior research fellow with the Police Foundation in Washington, D.C., a Florida Gulf Coast University professor, and a recognized expert in the use of force and police practices. Thomas argues there’s no reasonable explanation for Marceno to say those words on or off camera. What the Sheriff said is illegal.

“… commit a crime in Lee County and your ass will get beat,” said Marceno.

Thomas replied, “You don’t have those discussions; you don’t even open your mouth!”

Dave Benson is a violence prevention and threat assessment expert and a retired director of law enforcement training from the U.S. State Department. Benson says it wasn’t illegal for Marceno to say what he did, but that message can influence how deputies operate.

“When you have a head of an agency that implies it’s okay to behave this way, that has a trickle-down effect, I promise you,” said Benson.

“You run the risk of creating a climate that encourages violence,” said Aubrey Jewett.

Legal challenges ahead?

Jewett is an associate professor and assistant school director for the University of Central Florida’s School of Politics, Security, and International Affairs. He argues that Marceno’s message could create legal challenges for LCSO.

“A lawyer sues and says, ‘You know, my client, you know, was beaten up for no reason when he was being arrested.’ Well, then you see something like this,” said Jewett. “It makes you more vulnerable in court because then it’s potentially evidence that from the top has come down this… this climate of, you know, getting tough on crime and not following the rules.” He added, “That’s when, you know, he (Marceno) is potentially on the hook. The county is on the hook, and the county taxpayers are on the hook.”

Retired FBI Supervisory Agent Jim Derrane says it could also be used by deputies disciplined for the use of force to fight back, saying, “I play that sheriff’s video and say, ‘He told me to!'”

These experts point to this August arrest as an example of a potential legal battle. Security video captures then-Sergeant Christopher Meyer taking down and repeatedly punching Cory Samek during an attempt to handcuff him, while two other deputies watched. The deputies didn’t include that punch to the face in their initial report. They also failed to produce a mandatory “response to resistance” report that would have launched an immediate internal review. LCSO didn’t investigate until Samek filed a complaint from behind bars. Marceno announced all three were fired in October.

“I’m lost and I’m disappointed in the agency for not backing me and my guys,” said Meyer.

Former Deputy Brad Davidson says he wants to hear it from the Sheriff himself.

“I would hope that I could have a man-to-man conversation about how cop work is where I work,” said Davidson.

In response, Benson said, “This all challenges and destroys the credibility of our officials and our law enforcement folks.”

I contacted all five Lee County Commissioners to discuss Marceno’s video. Three didn’t respond. The two others wouldn’t weigh in.

No response from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

No response from Governor Ron DeSantis.

Thomas is not surprised by the silence.

“That’s probably a death sentence to their political career,” said Thomas.

“I think what has to happen is the public has to become outraged. And they have to demand more from the sheriff. And your story is the beginning of this, but I think there needs to be more,” said Thomas. “If the Feds need to investigate it, then they need to investigate it.”

As of right now, LCSO’s criminal investigation into Samek’s complaint remains open. The FBI says it’s aware of the case, but won’t confirm or deny it’s investigating. Marceno will not respond to our requests for an interview about his video. On Facebook, he said that the video does not represent his view on the use of force, but won’t explain why he shot it in the first place.

Weigh in: celine.mcarthur@winknews.com