ORLANDO, Fla. -- A man died early Thursday morning after a confrontation with an Orange County sheriff's deputy.
It happened at the Big Oaks Mobile Home Park, WESH 2 News reported.
Investigators said they received a 911 call at about 6 a.m. about a man screaming and trying to run into traffic at the entrance of the mobile home park on East Colonial Drive, near Bithlo.
When the first deputy arrived, he found a man wearing shorts, no shirt and no shoes. The deputy said the man was out of control and sweating profusely. He has been identified as Jeffrey Dean Earnhardt, 47. He was the first cousin of Dale Earnhardt, who died during the Daytona 500 in 2001.
The deputy said he told the man to restrain the man but the man struck him twice.
"Concerned that he might get hit by a car, they tried to get him out of the roadway, he was resistant. Next thing they know, they deployed their electronic control weapon, it appeared to have no effect," said Paul Zambouros, of the Orange County Sheriff's Office.
Other deputies arrived and were able to restrain the man.
Police said Jeffrey Earnhardt was taken to Florida Hospital East, where he was pronounced dead at 7:32 a.m.
Earnhardt lived with his father, Jay, in Winter Garden, but he was staying with a friend in the mobile home community and had been dropped off there Wednesday night.
His girlfriend told detectives he had a high temperature and other indications that he was on speed and possibly other drugs, but he refused to go to a hospital. Investigators said he had a history of using crystal methamphetamine.
"Everything looks like someone who took too much of the crystal meth and was feeling the ill effects of it," Zambouros said.
Earnhardt's loved ones think officers should have used other methods to arrest him.
"They could have tackled him or put a block up to where he couldn't run into the road. They have patrol cars, they could have lined them up. They could have tried something else before they Tasered him. That should have been used as a last resort," said family friend Elizabeth Meyer.
But deputies said Earnhardt displayed "super human strength" and a Taser gun was a better choice than the officer's gun.
Earnhardt had been arrested more than 30 times in Orange County, including arrests for drug possession, driving with a suspended or revoked license and resisting arrest.
The sheriff's office unveiled a new Taser gun policy in July that demands more training for officers, but that policy also makes it clear that officers can use a Taser gun if they feel their life is in jeopardy.
Deputy Frank Bonetti is the officer who used a Taser gun Thursday and he remains on active duty. Sheriff Kevin's Beary's office is looking into this, as they do in every case when a Taser gun is used, but so far, investigators say it appears the deputies did their jobs correctly.
Dales cousin dies!!!
Started by beadie, Dec 05 2005 09:45 AM
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