Original Article by Publisher Robert Anderson Follow up by Jemzee Barrett Editor Lehigh Acres Gazette
It has been verified that the FDLE is investigating Fire Commissioner Cathy Kruse and has talked to the Admin staff that was at the Sept 2, 2016, Fire commission meeting.
Chairman Cathy Kruse alluded at the fire board meeting of Sept 2, 2016, that she was offer bribes since she has been on the fire board, but she did say whether she has not taken any. She would not elaborate in detail in the meeting but she did a make assumption of a possible connection with other board members.
She also would not comment about these so-called bribes when we enquired about her statements. Yet she did say “The good ole boy network is hard at work in the Lehigh Acres Fire Department.”
During the meeting, Lehigh Acres Gazette reporter heard Battalion Chief Rudy Naranjo say “here comes the negativity”…….. When Kruse was about to speak.
Kruse went on for more than 7 minutes you could have heard a pin drop on the floor and the union members in the back of the room went deadly silent.
The other Commissioners during the meeting Becker, Carter, Adams, and Smith were as quiet as a mouse at church during Kruse rant about the bribes.
Right after Kruse’s statement, Commissioner (and former Chairman), Larry Becker stated he has never taken a bribe but he would not elaborate if he was ever offered one.
When the Lehigh Acres Gazette called the fire board’s Attorney Richard Pringle and asked about what Kruse said the phone want silent and then Pringle said, “I do not recollect what she said at this time.“
We asked him a different way and the phone went silent again, and finally, again he said, “I do not recollect what she said at this time.” And then he referred us to the recording of the meeting.
When the Lehigh Acres Gazette asked for a copy of the recording of the meeting we received two hours of soundless audio. When the Lehigh Acres Gazette questioned why it was blank, Susan Platas the Director of HR for Lehigh Acres Fire and the person that keeps the records stated that both recording devices failed to record the meeting on Sept 2, 2016, meeting.
Pringle as an attorney is an officer of the court. Officer of the court definition “any person who has an obligation to promote justice and effective operation of the judicial system, including judges, the attorneys who appear in court, bailiffs, clerks, and other personnel. As officers of the court lawyers have an absolute ethical duty to tell judges the truth, including avoiding dishonesty or evasion about reasons the attorney or his/her client is not appearing, the location of documents and other matters related to the conduct of the courts.”
Since Pringle was at the meeting and now is using, “I do not recollect what she said at this time.” So is he going, to tell the truth, and avoid dishonesty and or evasion of the facts? An officer of the court would by definition have to report a crime if one happened?
Also when Fire Department staff was questioned about Kruse’s comments they all mentioned about the use of the word “bribery” but would not go into details about Kruse’s full statement.