Tax lawyer says he was mistreated in jail; video shows him being restrained and hooded
A Florida lawyer says he didn’t need to be restrained and hooded after he was mistakenly arrested on a trespassing charge.
Michael Gabor of Fernandina Beach says Nassau County sheriff’s deputies mistreated him at the jail after his April 13 arrest, ActionNewsJax.com reports. The broadcast station reviewed video showing Gabor being restrained in a chair and a hood being placed over his head.
Prosecutors later dropped the trespass charge, which Gabor attributes to a mistaken report that he was trespassing at a business on the day he was scheduled to begin work there. Booking records said Gabor had been fired from his position that day and refused to leave, according to the report by ActionNewsJax.com.
Gabor told the broadcast station his problems at the jail began when he was unable to put on an orange jumpsuit. “I tried to put the outfit on but it was too small,” Gabor said. “I tried again, but the second one they brought me was also too small. I remember him saying, ‘Boy, you’re pissing me off. I’m gonna go get the spray.’ ”
Sheriff’s police tell a different story. Undersheriff George Lueders said his officers were forced to use pepper spray and the restraining chair because Gabor was erratic, aggressive and refused to wear a jumpsuit. The hood was used because Gabor kicked and spat on officers, Lueders said.
Gabor said officers overreacted and he was injured while in the restraints. “I just remember screaming for my life because I couldn’t breathe,” he said. Gabor said he recently learned his injuries will require long-term rehabilitation and he is planning to file suit.
