Illegal Camping?

A homeless woman, Annette Stafford, was arrested in Bradenton for illegal camping.

Stafford, who told the officer she had no address, said that she refuses to go to a homeless shelter, according to the report

Stafford has been given several verbal warnings about camping outside, the report states.

Stafford was staying behind the JODAT Law Firm. I can see an arrest for trespassing. Illegal camping is a change used on recreational campers. What might have happened is that Stafford was staying on property not owned by the JODAT Law Firm. The owner or a representative of the property has to lodge a trespassing complaint. If that didn't happen then the law enforcement officer got very creative. People that camp usually have a tent. The Bradenton Herald only mentions Stafford and another person having blankets. That is not camping. That is surviving.

Occupy Bradenton

Occupy Bradenton had its first rally today. The gathering received coverage from the Bradenton Herald. You can check out photos of the rally on Facebook.

Another Small Bank Bites the Dust

The Bradenton-based Horizon Bank has been taken over by Bank of the Ozarks. The FDIC negotiated a purchase agreement the Bank of the Ozarks. Horizon Banks had $195 million in assets and $11.4 million in deposits.

Bradenton Law Enforcement Officers Fired For Sex With Hookers

Homeless Man Claims He Was Beatened By Law Enforcement Officers

Jackie Dowd blogs about a potentially disturbing case of police brutality.

A homeless man says two Bradenton police officers drove him behind a shopping plaza, beat him up and dumped him into a ditch with a stern warning: Stay out of the city.

Jose del Angel, a 32-year-old day laborer, flagged down a Manatee County Sheriff's deputy after the beating and recounted the story in an affidavit. As a result, the Manatee County Sheriff's Office has opened a criminal investigation.

Some of the story has been confirmed.

One of the Bradenton officers acknowledges driving del Angel out of the city, but he said he didn't beat the man, according to the Sheriff's Office.

no investigation was launched two weeks after del Angel filed his complaint. The two officers are Jeff Cox and Dean Buttitta.

There is public documentation that del Angel was assaulted. The question is was it the officers.

On the night of July 12, when Buttitta drove del Angel out of the city, paramedics said del Angel was bleeding from his mouth and was complaining of abdominal pain after flagging down a deputy for help.

He was taken to Manatee Memorial Hospital. Authorities said del Angel, who has been charged with public drinking numerous times in recent years, was drunk, and a test confirmed that.

Captain Russell Tibbitts believes the investigation will clear the officers. I'm not sure if del Angel was assaulted by the officers. I do know how the investigation will end. It's the word of a homeless man vs two law police officers. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out how this will end.