VOLUSIA EXPOSED.COM

THE DEPUTY DAVID HIGGINS' USE OF FORCE INCIDENT Was the force he applied to Mary Knudsen necessary and / or excessive? Does this incident provide any additional insight on Volusia County's treatment of women? Is the GOOD OLD BOYS' club alive and well in Volusia County? A federal lawsuit has been filed to address this incident

Updated July 23, 2012

"Justice is the means by which established injustices are sanctioned."- Anatole France

BACKGROUND In May 2008, Volusia County Sheriff Deputy David Higgins arrested Mary Knudsen during a domestic dispute with her husband. At the time of her arrest, Mr. Scott Knudsen was a fire fighter with Volusia County Fire Services. Available records indicate, that the Volusia County Sheriff Department had responded to several domestic violence calls at the Knudsen residence. During her May 2008 arrest, Mary Knudsen indicated (see arrest report) that while she feared her husband, she seemed to be the one that the VCSO always either Baker Acted or arrested. Mary's observations (Baker Acted or arrested), are also attached to domestic calls associated with Lt. Odgers (VCSO) and his spouse, Cara Odgers. The Lt. Mike Odgers incident Is it just consequential, that both Mrs. Odgers and Mrs. Knudsen were Baker Acted and arrested, when they were involved in domestic disputes with their public safety employed husbands? Wouldn't it be an effective tool, to any abusive husband, to have a fellow public safety peer to Baker Act or arrest their "out of line" wife, in order that she can better understand her true predicament, in any argument with her husband? A sort of "got to get her mind right" approach in resolving domestic disputes. We at VolusiaExposed.Com will allow our readers to review the documents attached to both the Knudsen and Odgers incidents, so that our readers can form their own conclusions. Apparently, during the May 2008 incident, Scott Knudsen did not engage in battery against his wife. We can assume this, due to the fact that he was not arrested. However, did Mary Knudsen suffer a "proxy" beating from a sympathetic peer of Mr. Knudsen, under the guise of resisting arrest? Again, we invite our readers to come to their own conclusions, after their review of the documents and pictures attached to this web article.

Mary Knudsen's Booking photo Click photo to enlarge THE DOCUMENTS Deputy Higgins' Internal Affairs report VCSO Use of Force investigation Deputy Higgins' sworn testimony Witness Janice Byrd testimony Knudsen's arrest report OTHER INTERNAL AFFAIRS ON DEPUTY HIGGINS VCSO - IA 2009-10 VCSO - IA 2010-17 FEDERAL COURT WEB LINK Federal Court link to the Knudsen v VCSO case

The Treatment of Women within Volusia County Public Safety It's been said that the best way to predict an individual's (or an agency's) future behavior is to examine their past behavior. So what is the past documented behavior of the Volusia County's public safety agencies / employees, regarding their treatment of women? Here are a few quick examples: VCSO deputy supplies underage females with alcohol. VCSO deputy sexually approaches female prisoner? Beach Patrol officers engaging in sex with underage girls. Female suspect alleges false arrest for domestic violence. VCSO deputy attempts romantic relationship with felony suspect? VCSO deputy sexually assaults handcuffed woman. VCSO deputy reprimanded for domestic violence arrest Female Fire Fighter alleges sexual harassment. So what do you think, based on Volusia County's past treatment of women, could the Mary Knudsen allegations / lawsuit have some merit? By the way, Deputy Higgins has since resigned from the VCSO. In both 2009 and 2010, Deputy Higgins came under suspicion for not turning in property / evidence attached to two separate investigations. (Note - in both cases - women were alleged to have been victimized) Due to the 2009 allegations, Deputy Higgins was suspended. However, he resigned prior to the completion of the 2010 internal affairs investigation into his alleged misconduct. We (VolusiaExposed.Com) invite you, our readers, to read the detailed investigative reports attached to the 2009 and 2010 allegations against Deputy Higgins.

Mary Knudsen's Federal Lawsuit. Mary Knudsen has sued the Volusia County Sheriff Department in Federal Court. Initially, Volusia County Assistant County Attonery, Nancye Jones was assigned to defend the VCSO against the Knudsen lawsuit. Nancye Jones is the spouse of VCSO Major Robert Jones, Deputy Higgins' supervisor. We here at VolusiaExposed.Com believe that Attorney Jones' assignment to represent the VCSO in the Knudsen lawsuit is a direct conflict of interest. We explain our beliefs in the below attached web article. The Conflict of Interest of Attorney Jones Given everything mentioned in this article, the following thought comes to mind - Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how does your lawsuit go? If you found this article to be thought provoking, we (VolusiaExposed.Com) invite you to review, the below linked, Special Investigative Report, exposing law enforcement corruption with the State of Florida. SARASOTA HERALD-TRIBUNE'S SPECIAL INVESTIGATIVE SERIES ON LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRUPTION UNFIT FOR DUTY by Matthew Doig and Anthony Cormier Tarnished badge, flawed system Police unions / political clout Predator in uniform? What the personnel files reveal Problems and solutions Flagrant abuses invite little scrutiny Problem officers still find work How serious offenses go unreported Sworn to protect....their pensions Governor investigates CJSTC

We look forward to your comments on this situation - drop us a line to let us know what you think.
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