| VOLUSIA EXPOSED.COM |
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Is Assistant County Attorney Nancye Jones' involvement in a Federal lawsuit against the Volusia Sheriff Department, a conflict of interest? |
July 9, 2012 |
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In May 2008, Mary Knudsen was arrested by Deputy David Higgins of the Volusia County Sheriff Department. Deputy Higgins arrested Ms. Knudsen due to a domestic violence complaint. Ms. Knudsen has since filed a Federal lawsuit, in which she alleges that she was falsely arrested, and that Deputy Higgins applied excessive use of force against her person. Deputy Higgins is no longer employed with the VCSO, due to unrelated investigations into his veracity as a law enforcement officer. VolusiaExposed.Com is currently developing a web article that will fully address the Mary Knudsen arrest, and Deputy Higgins' veracity issues. This particular article will ONLY address the possible conflict of interesting that is attached to Assistant County Attorney Nancye Jones' involvement. |
Attorney Jones' Motion to the Court  |
Assistant County Attorney Nancye Jones is married to Volusia County Sheriff Major, Robert Jones. Major Jones supervises all road deputies and detectives within the VCSO.
During the May 2008 Knudsen arrest incident, Deputy Higgins was under Major Jones' supervision.
Although, Major Jones is NOT apparently mentioned in the Knudsen Federal lawsuit, he is without any doubt directly connected to the situation that the lawsuit addresses.
VolusiaExposed.Com considers Nancye Jones' assignment, to defend the County's interest in the Knudsen lawsuit, to be a direct conflict of interest of the citizens of Volusia County.
Attorney Jones filed the above (upper right of web page) legal motion to the Court, requesting that the Court dismiss the Knudsen lawsuit.
The Volusia County Legal Department has a direct obligation to defend the interests of Volusia County taxpayers and citizens. However, since Nancye Jones is related to a possible co-defendent or witness, she, by default, has a personal interest, to include financial interest, in the outcome of the litigation.
This personal interest, could quickly and easily, conflict with the interests of the citizens of Volusia County.
Recently, VolusiaExposed.Com was advised by Volusia County staff, that Attorney Jones would no longer represent the Volusia County Sheriff Department during internal County Personnel Board hearings involving VCSO staff members. The rationale given by county staff was that Attorney Jones wanted to avoid any possible appearance of a conflict of interest.
Therefore, surely, if Attorney Jones' representation, in an internal administrative hearing, can be a possible conflict of interest to the citizens of Volusia County, her involvement in external litigation would have similiar conflicts.
This conflict of interest is a continuing weeping wound that Sheriff Johnson apparently refuses to correct. VolusiaExposed.Com hold the opinion that this very conflict of interest has negatively influenced and obstructed law enforcement investigations, to include in-custody death investigations at the county jail.
We offer the 2009 Tracy Veira in-custody death investigation, as a prime example, of a criminal investigation being apparently obstructed.
Daytona Beach News Journal article regarding the Veira lawsuit
A PDF copy of the Tracy Veira lawsuit
There are and have been many other conflicts of this type associated with Attorney Jones. Are these merely oversights, or are they done by design? You decide !!
