Venice Fla--Off Duty Firefighter Charged with Assault

[captstanm1]

Boca Grande firefighter jailed on multiple battery charges


STAFF REPORT

VENICE -- A 27-year-old Boca Grande firefighter remained in county jail without bail Monday afternoon for allegedly beating three people with a flashlight.

According to the Venice Police Department report, South Venice resident Casey Lynn Taylor of the 200 block of Coronado Road had been piloting his boat in a no-wake zone Sunday night near the Venice Avenue boat ramp. Robert and Stacy Long and Shelly Hages, all of North Port, approached Taylor's boat to tell him it was a no-wake zone.

Taylor, who was off-duty at the time, responded with foul language, got off his boat, then retrieved a flashlight from his truck and struck, kicked and bit Stacy Long, according to the police report. The report said Taylor then attacked Hages and Robert Long, 35, hitting the latter in the head and breaking his elbow.

The Longs and Hages were treated for their injuries and released from an area hospital.

[Bones42]

Ok, this had nothing to do with him being a firefighter, so why do they always have to point that out when it's so unrelated? Not defending him in anyway, just complaining about the media coverage.

[mcaldwell]

And what's with the biting?

I've had the random desire to thump annoying people before (never acted upon), but you would figure a FF would know better than to bite a complete stranger. :rolleyes:

[N2DFire]

Ok, this had nothing to do with him being a firefighter, so why do they always have to point that out when it's so unrelated?

In a word . . . sensationalism. It sells papers.

I'm about 100% sure that if he were a garbage man or the paper delivery boy then his occupation would have never been mentioned.

[VolFFJohn]

I would have to agree with N2DFire. I bugs me when the media does this, like being a firefighter had anything to do with his actions.

[captstanm1]

It is called public opinion.. We are public servants and are therefore always in the eye of the public. Hence the line in our personnel policies that says...."conduct unbecoming"