Tomoka warden promoted in prison-system shakeup
Daytona Beach News-Journal Online (http://www.news-journalonline.com)
http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/News/Florida/floSTAT02031606.htm
TALLAHASSEE -- The warden in charge of Florida State Prison and the No. 2 official at the prison system's medical center were among nine top officials fired Wednesday by the new Corrections Department chief brought in by Gov. Jeb Bush to clean up the scandal-ridden system.
Among changes announced amid the firings by Corrections Secretary James McDonough was the appointment of Tomoka Correctional Institution Warden Randall Bryant to the warden position at Florida State prison, which houses the state's death row. Bryant, who came to the Daytona Beach prison in 1999 as an assistant warden of operations, was one of six other corrections leaders showing "leadership, integrity, commitment," who were moved to "key positions," McDonough said.
Michael Rathmann was fired as warden and Lamar Griffis was ousted as assistant warden at the agency's reception and medical center. Two regional directors, four wardens and three assistant wardens were dismissed because Corrections Secretary James McDonough said they "do not have my trust and confidence."
Region directors Al Solomon and Brad Carter, prison wardens Kenneth Lampp, Rick Anglin and Dave Farcas and assistant wardens Dale Hughes and Cornelius Faulk were also dismissed.
"The governor fully supports Secretary McDonough and his efforts to make professionalism and integrity a priority within the Department of Corrections," Bush spokesman Russell Schweiss said Wednesday.
McDonough, meanwhile, immediately promoted the six others, including former department chief Richard Duggar as director of the region in northeast Florida. The 63-year-old Duggar headed the department under former Gov. Bob Martinez in the late 1980s.
Wendel Whitehurst was promoted from the Union Correctional Institution to become a region director while wardens Ronnie Harris and Bryant were promoted to larger prisons. Bryant replaces Rathmann at Florida State Prison. Assistant wardens John Hancock and David McCallum were promoted to warden positions.
"I'm looking forward to the challenge," said Bryant, who has been with the department for 18 years and once worked at the famed Angola prison in Louisiana. "It's a great honor to be allowed the opportunity to work at Florida State Prison."
McDonough, a retired career Army infantry officer, said those being promoted "represent the leadership, integrity, commitment and sense of duty the Department of Corrections deserves."
The housecleaning comes a day after a report from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement concluded that McDonough's predecessor, James Crosby, tried to shut down an investigation into the scandal-ridden prison system by threatening one of his employees, whose father is the head of FDLE.
Crosby was forced to resign last month by Bush after he became part of a wide-ranging investigation into possible criminal activity among prison system employees.
Meanwhile, the department's inspector general released a report Wednesday that included testimony from witnesses who said Griffis knew about falsified time sheets for members of the softball teams and fake IDs for non-departmental persons for them to compete in softball tournaments.
Key players were allowed to fill out time sheets for a full eight-hour shift even if they'd spent the day practicing, according to the report.
Griffis, 49, denied the charges corroborated by more than a dozen witnesses and told investigators that a lot of people at Santa Rosa CI did not like him because he made them do their jobs.
The former secretary has denied any charges of wrongdoing and has hired an attorney.
Allegations remain of a steroid-selling ring involving prison guards to at least one person hired for a phantom job to bolster a staff softball team and parties at the state-owned homes for top corrections officials who sold tickets for attendance and charged for drinks as well.
There was also a well-publicized brawl involving agency officials.
Immediate attempts to reach some of the dismissed employees were not successful.
-- Staff Writer Jay Stapleton contributed to this Associated Press report.
