Are The Meggs and The Campbell Families Names and Legacies More Important Than Yours?
Poverty and lack of education in Black communities is a front for many studies conducted by law enforcement agencies. The Leon County Sheriff’s Office, now under Walt McNeil, a Black man, recently distributed a report titled, ‘Anatomy of a Homicide’. The report looks at violent crimes in Tallahassee over the past five years. Over the past 5 years a way to wash away all of the violent crimes that have occurred since State Attorney Jack Campbell has been in office. Five years, all of the years since Willie Meggs has left office—again—he has been in office since 1976. Leon County Sheriff Larry Campbell had been in office since 1996 up until 2014, which is 18 years.
In 2016, after (Democrat) William “Willie” Meggs’ forty years career as Florida’s Second Judicial Circuit State Attorney, which consists of Leon, Wakulla, Gadsden, Jefferson, Franklin, and Liberty counties, he decided to retire. John Emmett “Jack” Campbell (Democrat), the only son of then Leon County Sheriff Larry Campbell (Democrat), and (Republican) Pete Williams, a non-Tallahassee native, but lives there for years, battled to replace Willie Meggs. A few years earlier, in 2012, Pete Williams almost beat Willie Meggs in the same race.
Jack Campbell, who at the time had fifteen years of experience as a prosecutor, only having worked for Meggs, as media source reported, Jack Campbell sought out to build on that foundation (Willie Meggs’ forty years career). Over Willie Meggs’ career he cost taxpayers over millions of dollars in settling lawsuits due to his own arrogance. The families of Rachel Hoffman and former Florida House Speaker Ray Sansom received money in settlements, but only after Willie Meggs’ dragged their families through the mud.
In the race between Jack Campbell and Pete Williams, Jack Campbell, who has a lot of friends that are criminals, including a Black man that robbed two banks in Tallahassee, raised a lot of money. While Mr. Pete Williams wanted to reform Florida’s 2nd Judicial State Attorney’s office, Jack Campbell’s criminal enterprise outnumbered his efforts.
The foundation of costing taxpayers over millions of dollars in settling lawsuits is in part what Jack Campbell has planned for the citizens in Florida’s 2nd Judicial Circuit.
In 2012, sixteen years into Larry Campbell’s career as Leon County Sheriff, a woman and former chief of police by the name of Lisa Sprague (Independent), was the only woman in the race to become Leon County Sheriff. Sheriff Larry Campbell, the incumbent, was running for re-election. Sheriff Larry Campbell, dressed in his law enforcement uniform with his gun in its holster, spoke publicly and clearly using obscene and sexist remarks towards Lisa Sprague. As Lisa Sprague (a non-Tallahassee native but lived there for years) motioned to shake Sheriff Larry Campbell’s hand, he angrily said, “F… you!”
Sheriff Larry Campbell’s deep roots in Tallahassee played a role in his re-election.
For more than a decade, Leon County Sheriff Larry Campbell wanted to dissolve the City of Tallahassee Police Department. Many people will say that Sheriff Larry Campbell was obsessed with having his agency—Leon County Sheriff’s Office—as the only local law enforcement agency. Crimes in Leon County went underreported—unsolved homicides remain unsolved. And very many convictions are wrongful!
Sheriff Larry Campbell told a media outlet that he wanted to die in office. And that he wanted Mike Wood (Democrat), one of his sheriff’s deputies with a criminal past, to replace him.
In mid-2014, due to Florida Statutes—the Florida Retirement System for government employees, Mike Wood had to retire from the Leon County Sheriff’s Office. During the afternoon hours on November 2014, a man said to be well-known by Leon County Sheriff’s deputies as anti-government, set his house on fire in Leon County. When the Tallahassee Fire Department arrived, the man began shooting. As Leon County Sheriff’s Deputy Christopher Smith, 47, and Leon County Sheriff’s Deputy Colin Wulfekuhl arrived at the scene, both deputies were shot. Deputy Smith succumb to his injuries. Sheriff Larry Campbell failed to address the community. Twenty-four hours later, Sheriff Larry Campbell, attempted to hold a press conference. He appeared frail. His words were inaudible. His clothes were fashioned as though someone had dressed him. There he stood in front of news media cameras with saliva about his mouth slurring his words. Leon County Sheriff Larry Campbell, a man who just 2 years earlier, spoke loud and clear in his attempt to publicly demean Lisa Sprague. Sheriff Larry Campbell’s condition did not deteriorate overnight. He had been out of public view for quite a while.
Many people around Sheriff Larry Campbell were aware that his health had declined. There was no solid leadership known to the public. Why? Because had the public seen or been aware of the health condition that their elected sheriff was in—the public would have done whatever they needed to do to have him replaced. Sadly, it took the tragic ambush of deputies–the loss of Leon County Sheriff’s Deputy Christopher Smith, to tragically lose his life—in order for the citizens of Leon County to see at that time that they really did not have a functioning sheriff. The next month, in late December 2014, Sheriff Larry Campbell died. He was 72. It is still not known if anyone called into question why the public was unaware of Sheriff Larry Campbell’s severely deteriorating health. More than likely, Leon County Sheriff Larry Campbell’s family and many of those that worked closely to Sheriff Larry Campbell were helping Sheriff Larry Campbell fulfill his wish to die while in office.
Reportedly, during Sheriff Larry Campbell’s funeral, to which Governor Rick Scott was in attendance, his son, Jack Campbell, stood up and told a memory of years back when his dad, got dressed in all his law enforcement regalia, and escorted his sister to an 8th grade dance. Jack Campbell told it to be a funny story, however, it gave those in attendance at the funeral and elsewhere, more of an inside view of just how much Larry Campbell had to be in control. Control over the Leon County Sheriff’s Office—control over a lot of employee’s paychecks, especially law enforcement officials—sheriff’s deputies. Control over a lot of law enforcement officer’s futures. Control in the community.
The next month, January 2015, then Florida Governor Rick Scott appointed Robert Swearingen, the twin brother of Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Richard Swearingen, to be interim Leon County Sheriff. Robert Swearingen was an active member of Sheriff Larry Campbell’s Command Staff. Interim Leon County Sheriff Robert Swearingen’s new position was short-lived. Not long after Governor Scott was informed that it was Sheriff Larry Campbell’s plan to have Mike Wood as Leon County Sheriff, Governor Scott brought Mike Wood, law enforcement officer with a criminal past, in out of early retirement to fulfill Sheriff Larry Campbell’s will.
Less than nine months after Sheriff Larry Campbell’s death, a ceremony was held where the administration building at the Leon County Sheriff’s Office was named after him. Sheriff Larry Campbell’s family, friends and some law enforcement officials were there.
Ethics complaints alleging abuse of power were filed years ago against Larry Campbell, Willie Meggs, and Jack Campbell. Those complaints have never been addressed.
“OUR LIVES BEGIN TO END THE DAY WE BECOME SILENT ABOUT THINGS THAT MATTER.” MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.
On January 28, 2011, DeShon Rashard Thomas, a 17-year-old Black male, and his mother, Carissa Chambers, walked into the Leon County Sheriff’s Office and asked to speak to the lead detective over the Wolf Creek double homicide that opened on January 27, 2011. The victims were a 17-year-old Black male, and a pregnant 20-year-old Black female. The female, Laqecia Herring, who was five months into her pregnancy, and her brother, Sterling Conner Jr. were found in their townhome—a few blocks away from the Leon County Sheriff’s Office and pass Tallahassee Community College.
Laqecia had previously been in a relationship with DeShon. DeShon, who had been attending Tallahassee Community College as a freshman since he was 16-years-old and worked at Taco Bell on Capital Circle N.E. looked forward to the birth of the baby. Laqecia and DeShon understood that upon her baby’s birth, a DNA test was going to be conducted. DeShon was not doing everything in life right, but he was not the one to misrepresent himself. Racist vulgar from a White man who had said that he was the lead detective on the case was swift. When DeShon’s mother invoked his and her Miranda Rights, they were separated, and she and DeShon’s civil rights were violated. DeShon had absolutely nothing to do with the murders of Laqecia Herring, her unborn baby, or Sterling Conner Jr.
DeShon and his mother, who are not natives of Tallahassee, but had lived there for 8 years, begged Leon County Sheriff’s detectives to thoroughly investigate the double homicide case. What DeShon and his mother did not know was that Leon County Sheriff Larry Campbell had a son that was a prosecutor in State Attorney Willie Meggs’ office. Let alone, that State Attorney Willie Meggs assigned criminal cases to Jack Campbell to prosecute that were under the investigative jurisdiction of his dad, Leon County Sheriff Larry Campbell. Sheriff Larry Campbell and his son, Jack Campbell, along with State Attorney Willie Meggs had already set Laqecia Herring, her unborn baby, and Sterling Conner Jr.’s murders as pavers to help make the way for them to reach their families goals and build their own long-term wealth for their children and generations to come.
In 2013, Prosecutor Jack Campbell blatantly lied to jurors to get convictions against DeShon Thomas. DeShon’s convictions are wrongful convictions! Prosecutor Jack Campbell, his daddy Leon County Sheriff Larry Campbell, and State Attorney Willie Meggs chose to use all of the people listed below as pavers. The Campbell and Meggs families goals are to walk on the pavers that they’ve dropped for many generations. They never had the best interest of anyone just themselves.
Are The Meggs and The Campbell Families Names and Legacies More Important Than Yours?
Timothy D. McCrohan, Federal Bureau of Investigation
Mark R. Leon, Federal Bureau of Investigation
Captain Robert Swearingen, Leon County Sheriff’s Office
Captain McLoughlin, Leon County Sheriff’s Office
Melinda McBride, Leon County Sheriff’s Office, #267
Fred Smelt, Leon County Sheriff’s Office, #252
Donald Odham, Leon County Sheriff’s Office, (Fake Cop) #1206
Ronald O’Brien, Leon County Sheriff’s Office, #
Justin Vann, Leon County Sheriff’s Office, #431
B Dawkins, Leon County Sheriff’s Office, #71
Kenneth Ganey, Leon County Sheriff’s Office, #126
Bobby Green, Leon County Sheriff’s Office, #152
Dawn Dennis, Leon County Sheriff’s Office, #278
Tim Baxter, Leon County Sheriff’s Office, #63
David Farcas, Leon County Sheriff’s Office, #362
Tommy Gore, Leon County Sheriff’s Office, #283
Clifton Couch, Leon County Sheriff’s Office, #418
Leslie Rabon, Leon County Sheriff’s Office
Brian Pearson, Leon County Sheriff’s Office, #310
Traci Esser, Leon County Sheriff’s Office,
Steven Woodcock, Leon County Sheriff’s Office, #140
Mike Reeves, Leon County Sheriff’s Office, #274
Patrick McLeod, Leon County Sheriff’s Office, #343
Jon Etheridge, Leon County Sheriff’s Office,
Chris Chase, Leon County Sheriff’s Office, K-9 Miska,
P. Salvo, Leon County Sheriff’s Office,
John Simpson, Leon County Sheriff’s Office, #272
Tim Lawrence, Leon County Sheriff’s Office,
Rodney Carey, Leon County Sheriff’s Office,
Lauren Brown, Leon County Sheriff’s Office,
Henderson, Leon County Sheriff’s Office, #321
T. Chaires, Leon County Sheriff’s Office,
Grady Jordan, Leon County Sheriff’s Office, #147
Lakisha Snow, Leon County Sheriff’s Office, #402
Robert Wright, Leon County Sheriff’s Office, #377, K-9 Tag
R. Whiddon, Leon County Sheriff’s Office, #347
Tina Reeves, Leon County Sheriff’s Office,
Bill Punausnia, Leon County Sheriff’s Office,
James McQuaig, Leon County Sheriff’s Office,
Walker, Leon County Sheriff’s Office, #3
Captain Todd McKissack, Leon County Sheriff’s Office
Captain Johnson, Leon County Sheriff’s Office, #10
McCarthy, Leon County Sheriff’s Office, #546
*Chris Corbitt, Tallahassee Police Department
*Florida 2nd Judicial Circuit (State Attorney Willie Meggs)
Eric Trombley, Assistant State Attorney
Georgia Cappleman, Chief Assistant State Attorney
Christie Utt, Assistant State Attorney
Deborah Wilshmant, Assistant State Attorney
Stephanie Walters, Assistant State Attorney
Jason Newlin, Assistant State Attorney Investigator
*Nancy Daniels, Lead Public Defender
*Robert “Bob” Inzer , Clerk of the Circuit Court
*Gerald Bailey, Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner
Jennifer Roeder, Florida Department of Law Enforcement
Jack Martin, Florida Department of Law Enforcement
John P. Ryan Jr., Florida Department of Law Enforcement
Ruth Bradley, Florida Department of Law Enforcement
Ben Lozowski, Florida Department of Law Enforcement
Tamena Nixon, Florida Department of Law Enforcement
Keith Wilmer, Florida Department of Law Enforcement
Regina Cline, Florida Department of Law Enforcement
Terry Evans, Emergency Medical Technician
Kim Landry, Emergency Medical Technician
Annemarie Craft, Florida Bar Counsel, Attorney Consumer Assistance Program
Dr. Anthony Clark, District Two Medical Examiners Office
Alex Morris, Defense Attorney
Annabelle Dias, Defense Attorney
Gregory James Cummings, Defense Attorney
Paul Srygley, Defense Attorney
Baya Harrison, Defense Attorney
Jeffery Lewis, Office of Criminal Conflict and Civil Regional Counsel
Daren Shippy, OCCCRC Attorney
Samuel Olmstead, OCCCRC Attorney
Julie Montanaro, WCTV News
Lanetra Bennett, WCTV News
*Judge Karen Geivers
Judge Robert Wheeler
Judge Ronald Flury
Judge Nina Ashenafi-Richardson
Judge Terry Lewis
Judge James C. Hankinson
Judge Jackie Fulford
Chief Judge Charles Francis
Judge Charles Dodson
Administration Building Named After Long-Time Sheriff (wtxl.com)
Tallahassee NAACP hosts community discussion on Leon County Sheriff’s Office’s ‘Anatomy of a Homicide’ report (wtxl.com)
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