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May 08, 2008
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Deputy who used uniform to cut in line suspended
By Ryan Mills
The Naples Daily News COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. — An early morning Black Friday shopping trip ended with a two-day suspension for a Collier County sheriff's deputy after a customer who had been in line outside the store for 10 hours reported the deputy used his uniform to cut to the front. Sgt. Robert Tompkins, a corrections deputy at the Naples Jail Center, finished his shift about 4:30 a.m. Nov. 23 and went to Circuit City, 5052 Airport-Pulling Road, to pick up a camera he had purchased online, according to an internal investigation. When Tompkins arrived about 15 minutes later in uniform, he said he was "baffled" when he saw a line of about 1,000 people lined up outside. As Tompkins approached the line from the left, Shaun Kilroy, a customer who had been waiting in the line for more than 10 hours, asked for his assistance. Kilroy had already called law enforcement for help with people butting in line, reports said. "I tried to explain to him ... I wasn't there for him and, you know, I'm not a law enforcement officer," Tompkins said during an internal interview. "I was not, you know, um, portraying myself to be, other than being in uniform. I was a corrections deputy." Another deputy, Sgt. Joseph M. Ellis, eventually arrived to handle the crowd. When the doors opened at 5 a.m., Tompkins, who had positioned himself near the door, joined in the line and entered. "It turns out this other officer actually just jumped in front of everyone, using his officer status to get to the front of the line," Kilroy wrote in a complaint. Tompkins told investigators that nobody had a problem with him being there, and, in fact, welcomed him. He said he was tired after working a full shift on Thanksgiving, and just wanted to get in and out before heading home. "I never went there with the intention of, you know, doing anything wrong ... I was never rude to this gentleman and, um, I would have assisted him more had he not walked away," Tompkins said. "I would have contacted dispatch, you know, to help him out, but he walked away and never provided me that opportunity. That's about all I got." Tompkins left the store with the camera and a television, reports said. In January, Tompkins was found guilty of violating Sheriff's Office rules or disregarding proper community customs or ethics. He was suspended for two days, placed on 12 months of probation, and given a letter of reprimand and a final warning, reports said. Kilroy also filed a complaint against Ellis, claiming that Ellis berated people in line and called the people that had been there for hours "immature." Ellis was exonerated. In 2005 Tompkins received a letter of reprimand after an investigation revealed he pushed a disabled inmate during an argument. Copyright 2008 The Naples Daily News
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