MCSO Announces November & December Employees and Deputies of the Month

SERGEANT MICHAEL JONES
DEPUTY OF THE MONTH
DECEMBER 2011
 
On October 29, 2011, Sergeant Michael Jones was off-duty at a hospital in Pasco County with some family members.  As he was leaving the hospital, he noticed a man sitting on a bench outside the main entrance.  The man was acting nervous and suspicious, moving back and forth from the bench to squat behind a trash can next to a support column.  Since Sergeant Jones did not know the man’s intentions, he hurried his family to the car, then heard a woman scream near the area. 

Sergeant Jones looked to see another man run into the hospital with a purse and the suspicious man making his way towards the entrance as well.  Once inside, the suspicious man took possession of the purse and the two split up.  Sergeant Jones followed the man with the purse, confronted him and called 911.  Local law enforcement arrived, took custody of the suspect and located the other suspect nearby based on the description he gave.  The victim was not injured and her purse was returned intact.

For his alertness to his surroundings and willingness to respond quickly and appropriately in this incident, Sergeant Michael Jones is awarded Deputy of the Month for December 2011.  Congratulations!

DAVID  MARSH
EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH
DECEMBER 2011
 
On November 5, 2011, Communications Dispatcher David Marsh was transferred a call from Pinellas County that turned out to be a suicidal man.  He immediately started building a rapport with the caller, obtaining a name, a home address in Manatee County and phone number.  As David talked with the man more, it became apparent that he was not at home, but in Pinellas County.  Instead of transferring the man back to Pinellas County, David continued to talk with him past the end of his shift, calming him down and relating to him on a personal level. 

David was able to convince him to come back to Manatee County and check into Manatee Glens.  David left his personal cell phone number with the oncoming shift in case the man called back after he left.  Later in the evening, the man did call
 back. Deputies were dispatched to his location and he went to Manatee Glens voluntarily.
It would have been very easy for David to transfer this unstable person to the appropriate agency and be done with it, but he didn’t.  For his patience and compassion to help someone in need to the point of possibly saving a life, David Marsh is awarded Employee of the Month for December 2011.  Congratulations!
 

CHRISTIAN  ROJAS
EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH
NOVEMBER 2011
 
On November 14, 2011, Christian Rojas and another fingerprint examiner responded to the Medical Examiner’s Office to fingerprint a deceased body that was found floating two days before and was in a decomposition state.  Christian took the first layer of skin from the fingers, attached it to his, rolled it with ink and transferred it to a fingerprint card. 

Christian checked the prints through the local and state AFIS database system with negative results.  The prints were then re-encoded and sent to ICE and the FBI systems, with a possible match from both agencies soon after.  After comparison and verification, identification was made through the FBI.

For his diligent efforts in this sensitive field of work, Christian Rojas is awarded Employee of the Month for November, 2011.  Congratulations!

DETECTIVE SALVATORE LEVITA
DEPUTY OF THE MONTH
NOVEMBER 2011
 
On October 31, 2011, Halloween evening, Detective Salvatore Levita and his family met with another MSO employee and his family at a friend’s home.  After trick-or-treating in the neighborhood, the kids were in a bedroom playing where there was a fog machine and strobe light. 

Detective Levita went into the bedroom to check on the children and found his co-worker’s teenage boy on the floor, non-responsive, and appeared to be locked in a seizure.  Detective Levita found a piece of candy in his mouth and removed it to prevent him from choking, then laid him down and calmed him until he could summons his father. 

The boy was transported to the hospital by EMS and it was determined that he had suffered a seizure from a concussion received at wrestling practice earlier in the day that was exacerbated by the strobe light.

Had he not found the child and rendered aid when he did, there could have been a tragic outcome.  For his quick actions, Detective Salvatore Levita is awarded Deputy of the Month for November 2011.  Congratulations!