Exclusive: Charlotte County Sheriff advocates for Tristin Murphy Act

Charlotte County Sheriff Bill Prummell is pushing for a new bill that aims to prevent cases like that of Tristin Murphy from happening again.

Not only is he pushing for it, but he also helped write it. He sat down with WINK News on Thursday to discuss it.

In December, Tristin Murphy was arrested in Charlotte County for littering after driving his car into a pond.

• RELATED: Mom and Charlotte Sheriff speak in support of the Tristin Murphy Act

“He has suffered from schizophrenia and was on medication and doing well for a while, and then his condition deteriorated,” his mother, Cindee Murphy, said.

Murphy would ultimately be convicted and sentenced to prison time. He was transferred to the Florida Department of Corrections and placed on work duty.

He tragically took his own life after being handed a chainsaw for yard work in Miami-Dade County.

Charlotte County Sheriff Bill Prummell collaborated with Murphy’s mother to draft the “Tristin Murphy Act.”

This legislation aims to prevent such incidents from happening again by expanding resources for mental health victims who encounter law enforcement.

“It’s going to give options,” said Prummell. “We’re going to give people treatment options. We’re not going to throw them in a cell. We’re not going to put them in prison.”

The Tristin Murphy Act seeks to address mental health issues within the criminal justice system.

“If we can identify that it’s a mental health type issue or substance use issue, and we’re able to divert them,” Prummell said.

“We can run a name and find out if they’ve got a criminal history,” said Prummell. “But we can’t run them through a database and say, okay, they’re being treated at this facility by this person.”

Prummell emphasized the need for change, as the current system offers limited solutions once individuals become involved.

“My goal is to get it passed and to make sure that nothing happens like Tristan again,” said Prummell.

The Tristin Murphy Act proposes several measures, including mental health screenings within 24 hours, to determine if treatment is more appropriate than jail. It also expands training for 911 operators and EMS crews.

“Years ago, when I was a baby cop, I used to think, Hey, you did the crime, you did the time,” said Prummell. “But as you grow up, you grow a little bit wiser, you start to see there’s other issues going on. There’s other problems going on.”

The Tristin Murphy Act introduces mental health diversion programs for misdemeanor and felony defendants and expands eligibility for the Forensic Hospital Diversion Pilot Program.

It also creates the Florida Behavioral Health Care Data Repository to analyze behavioral health data and report to the Governor and Legislature.

Critics of the bill argue criminals will exploit mental health claims to evade legal consequences. Prummell assured that thorough evaluations and professional oversight would be in place to detect any false claims.

“They’re usually pretty good about seeing through whether somebody is playing possum or not,” Prummell said.

If passed, the Tristin Murphy Act will take effect on Oct. 1. A companion house bill has been filed.