CRAWFORDVILLE, FL (WTXL) - The Wakulla County Sheriff released documents from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the State Attorney's Office saying he has been cleared in an incident where a sex offender was allowed to attend a Wakulla County High School graduation event.
Wakulla County NAACP Chapter President Anginita Rosier filed the complaint with FDLE claiming that Sheriff Charlie Creel allowed an inmate to attend a Project Graduation event at Wakulla Springs in June of 2014, even though he knew he was a sex offender.
Shain Shappard was serving time in the Wakulla County Jail when he was allowed to attend the Project Graduation event, according to FDLE.
Investigators say that while several staff members were aware that Shappard was a sex offender, they were not aware that he wasn't allowed to visit schools, child care facilities, parks and playgrounds without permission from his probation officer.
FDLE says Sheriff Creel had WCSO staff give the inmate civilian clothes, as Rosier's allegations said, but it so Shappard wouldn't alarm the students attending the event.
Creel was interviewed by FDLE as part of the investigation.
FDLE documents say, "Sheriff Creel advised he saw Shappard there, but did not direct him to be at the event. Sheriff Creel stated he believed that Sheppard was in jail for a minor infraction, which would have allowed him to work as a trustee at the WCHS Project Graduation event. Sheriff Creel stated that he was not advised Sheppard was under any probationary restriction which prohibited him to work at the WCHS Project Graduation event."
Assistant State Attorney Eddie Evans reviewed FDLE's report. Evans says because Creel did not know that attending the Project Graduation event was a violation of Shappard's probation and since Creel did not assign Shappard to the work duty himself, Creel did not violate any laws.
"As the elected Sheriff of Wakulla County, Sheriff Creel ultimately bears responsibility for the actions of his office and his employees. One of his employees did allow this sexual offender to be at Project Graduation contrary to the court's order. However, for there to be criminal conduct, Sheriff Creel must have knowingly violated the court's order... While the failures by the Sheriff's Office led to this sexual offender being present at Project Graduation contrary to the court's order, they do not show criminal conduct by Sheriff Creel," says Evans.
FDLE's investigation into Creel did result in a second investigation into a Sheriff's Office employee, Major Jared Miller.
According to FDLE, Miller gave jail documents regarding Shappard to Rosier that she then used to file the FDLE complaint about Sheriff Creel.
Those documents included Shappard's social security number and other information about his incarceration.
In this investigation, the State Attorney's Office concluded that Miller did not violate Florida law because he was not aware that releasing documents that included the social security number was a violation of public record laws.
"As the Sheriff of Wakulla County ultimately bears responsibility to ensure there are no further public records violations by his office or employees, he should be given notice of this letter and the results of FDLE's investigation in this matter," said Assistant State Attorney Evans in his report.
With the release of the documents, Sheriff Creel released the below statement:
The allegations against me by Anginita Rosier, President of the Wakulla County Chapter of the NAACP was nothing more than part of a smear campaign! While the FDLE did their investigation on the allegations they in turn opened their own investigation against Jared Miller.
I have been completely cleared by the FDLE as I did not approve this inmate to attend Project Graduation and in fact did not know he was a registered sex offender until months later. I don't approve which inmate is granted trustee status. This is the responsibility of the jail administrator.
Any questions regarding the investigation on Jared Miller should be addressed to the FDLE and Willie Meggs, State Attorney.
It is time for these allegations against myself to be put behind as I have a job that I was elected to do, and that I intend to do.
