Mar 28, 2008 7:20 pm US/Eastern
Timoney's Lexus Deal Heads To State Ethics Hearing
MIAMI (CBS4) ―
Miami Police Chief John Timoney's troubles are mounting in connection with his use of a fee-free Lexus SUV.
Documents obtained by
CBS4 News reveal that the Florida Commission on Ethics will hold a hearing next month on Timoney's apparent violation of state ethics law.
As
CBS4 News revealed last August, Timoney drove a luxury SUV, free of charge, for more than a year, courtesy of Lexus of Kendall.
Timoney did not disclose the deal, which is an apparent violation of state law regulating gifts. After
CBS4 News exposed the Chief's free ride, he bought the car, and paid full sticker price.
The state hearing into the police chief's behavior comes after the County Ethics Commission fined and reprimanded Timoney, who insisted he had done nothing wrong. He argued the free Lexus wasn't a "gift."
In a blistering rebuke, the county panel said Timoney's argument was "not only disingenuous, but illogical and without merit."
The County Ethics Commission fined the police chief $500, the maximum possible under the local ordinance.
The "probable cause" hearing before the Florida Commission on Ethics is the first step in what could lead to more serious sanctions against Timoney. The state commission can impose fines up to $10,000 per violation, and can even recommend removal from office.
The police chief's boss, City Manager Pete Hernandez didn't know about the hearing until he learned it from
CBS4's Gary Nelson.
"I would like to, in essence, be done with this issue and be able to move forward. So I need to talk to the Chief and I need to be more informed as to what the State is doing," said Hernandez.
The police officers union has told Hernandez that moving forward will require a new chief.
"It's very hard to put the matter behind you, especially when he's the Chief of Police and he is supposed to be an example for others. I think it's time for this man to go," said Armando Aguilar, President of the Miami Fraternal Order of Police.
City Commissioner Tomas Regalado has also called for Timoney to resign or be fired in the "best interests of the police department and the city."
The Florida Ethics Commission began its investigation after former Miami police chief Kenneth Harms filed a complaint in reaction to the CBS4 News report that exposed Timoney's free car deal. Harms told CBS4 News Thursday, "The citizens of Miami deserve a chief who is honorable, who is willing to stand up and tell the truth and accept responsibility. They haven't found one in John Timoney."
Timoney has refused to speak with CBS4 News since our first report exposed his fee-free deal back in August.
On Thursday, when Gary Nelson asked whether the chief would contest the charges before the State Ethics Commission, Timoney replied, "You know the rules, we don't talk to reporters that lie or stations that dissemble."
The Florida Commission on Ethics has set its probable cause hearing for April 18th in Tallahassee. The Chief of Police will get five minutes, if he chooses, to argue why he should not be fined or reprimanded, or possibly worse, for accepting that free Lexus.
Timoney is also under investigation by Miami's Civilian Investigative Panel. C.I.P. Chairwoman Brenda Shapiro told CBS4 News the panel wants to wants to know if there was some "quid pro quo" involved with Timoney's acceptance of the free Lexus and whether he violated department policy against officers accepting gifts.
The CIP also is looking at whether Timoney violated his department's policy requiring "members to be truthful" at all times. When CBS4 News first inquired about the Lexus, Timoney, through a spokesman, denied getting the Lexus for free. He later acknowledged the free ride, after CBS4 News proved through state motor vehicle records that he could not be paying for the car.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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