On Nov 26 of 2014 Dale Pinheiro was fired for his assault on a LCSO V.O.I.C.E Officer, during an incident on Sept 14, 2014. In the reports the Lehigh Acres Gazette has attained, it clear show Pinheiro did indeed attack a LCSO V.O.I.C.E Officer with Lehigh Acres Fire equipment. And yelled profanities at other LCSO officers.
V.O.I.C.E. stands for Volunteer Observer Impacting Community the effort began in 1988 when the Lee County Sheriff’s Office needed additional deputies but did not have the budget to hire them. V.O.I.C.E. is comprised of concerned citizens who care about their community and are dedicated to helping the Sheriff’s Office provide a higher level of service to its citizens and visitors.
Chief John R. Wayne formally terminated Pinheiro over this matter including acting extremely unprofessional.
Dale Pinheiro refused to give a statement to the Lehigh Acres Gazette, but records show that Pinheiro a self-proclaimed outlaw bike is filing for arbitration to get his job back again. This will likely cost taxpayers 12,000 to 15,000 dollars in legal fees.
Records show that Pinheiro was fired and then rehired for similar actions in the past.
“The Lee County Sheriff’s Office values the working relationship with the Lehigh Acres Fire Department and their employees. Unfortunate incidents such as this are not reflective of the outstanding job that these agencies do on a daily basis.” Stated in an email by Sheriff Mike Scott
To review all the documents of this case please click below.