My Bragging Page
In 1987, I left the Navy and came home to Florida. I joined the St. Cloud Police Department in 1988 where I was a patrol officer and then a traffic motor officer. In 1990, I left the St. Cloud Police and joined the Osceola County Sheriffs Office.While I was there, I was an F.T.O., Tourist Crimes Detective, Patrol Deputy and a School Resource Officer. My last assignment was in the departments Community Oriented Policing (bike) Unit. I was assigned to high crime and drug areas.
In November of 1998, I left the Sheriffs Office and went to work for the State of Florida. I am a Fire and Arson Investigator for the State Fire Marshal's Office. It is a Law Enforcement position which means that I was able to keep my retirement and all my benefits when I left the Sheriffs Office. I am assigned to the Orlando office and am the primary Investigator for Osceola County.
I am also a Red Cross Water Safety Instructor and Life Guard. I now have about 200 patches in my collection and hope to add more soon.
I met my wife in 1989 and knew I wanted her to be my wife and best friend from the start. In 1990, we married. In 1992, we had our daughter, Alexandria.
On Feb. 23, 1998, the worst tornadoes to hit Central Florida in history touched down in the City of Kissimmee, which is the County Seat of Osceola County. The storms cut a path through the County several hundred feet wide and many miles long. After the storm was over, the clean up began. Osceola County was the hardest hit in Central Florida with almost 30 deaths and over $30,000,000 in property damages. President Bill Clinton toured the devistated area and promised help and support for the people who lost everything.
My duties on Feb. 25, the day the President visited, included acting as a uniformed presence and support for the Secret Service. The President landed in Orlando in Air Force One and flew into Kissimmee in the Helicopter above. As he was leaving, he walked up to me, shook my hand, and told me we had done a fantastic job with the clean up efforts and to keep up the good work. You may not be a Clinton fan but, to me, this was a day that I will never forget. I live in a County that never sees much in the way of V.I.P.'s so this was special. A few hours after he left, the last body was found in the trailer park he had toured. It was only a few feet from a pile of rubble that the President had walked over to talk to residents and other workers cleaning up the park. I have put some storm damage pictures in my page.
