Complaints about law enforcement motivate candidate for Polk County sheriff

A Frostproof man has filed to challenge Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, citing what he says are examples of mistreatment by law enforcement as his motivation.

Theodore “Pink Tie” Murray filed to run in the November election as a nonpartisan candidate against Judd, a Republican. Judd, seeking a sixth four-year term, did not face any opponent in the past two elections.

Murray, 46, ran for the U.S. House in District 17 the past two elections, receiving less than 2% of the vote each time.

In discussing his reasons for running, Murray described three episodes — two from Polk County — in which he claims law enforcement either wrongly arrested him or failed to properly investigate crimes of which he was a victim.

In the most recent case, Murray says that longtime associates forged deeds to take ownership of his properties in Frostproof and in Gulf County in 2022. He filed complaints in both counties but says the Polk County Sheriff’s Office has not charged the alleged perpetrators, despite what he says is plentiful evidence.

Murray, a building contractor, shared copies of deeds transferring ownership of the Polk County properties, with signatures that appear noticeably different from his signatures on other documents. Murray said that the case has been passed among three detectives.

Scott Wilder, a spokesperson for the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, said that investigators have devoted considerable time to the case, which remains open, but have not found probable cause to pursue criminal charges. He said an examination by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement of the supposedly forged documents was inconclusive.

The parties who took control of the properties say that Murray signed over permission to them, something that he denies. Wilder said that Murray might be able to pursue a civil lawsuit.

Murray said he was a victim of arson and robbery in 2019 involving his property in Frostproof. He said that thieves broke into a safe, stealing guns, a gold ring, 2,000 ounces of silver and other items. He said the Polk County Sheriff’s Office investigated with “a bare minimum of effort at best.”

Franklin County incident

The other episode that partly fueled Murray’s desire to run for sheriff began in 2022 with a police incident in Franklin County, in the Panhandle. In Murray’s description, he was driving into Port St. Joe when three unfamiliar vehicles boxed him in and began slowing as if to make him stop.

Murray said he eluded the vehicles and sped away in search of a law enforcement officer to report the incident. Reaching Apalachicola, he came up behind a police vehicle and flashed his lights to get the officer’s attention, he said.

FDOT is planning a 210-mile walking and biking trail from Polk to Collier County

An arrest report from the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office provides this version of events: About 1:50 a.m. on June 19, 2022, an officer noticed a truck approaching him from behind at such high speed that he feared the truck would ram his vehicle. The officer accelerated repeatedly to avoid an impact before stopping and ordering the truck’s driver to pull over as another officer arrived.

Murray made strange statements, and the original officer asked if he had been drinking. Noticing that Murray’s eyes were “watering” and his speech appeared to be slurred, the officer asked him to take field sobriety tests, and Murray refused.

When Murray declined orders to leave the vehicle, an officer handcuffed him and the two officers eventually pulled him from the truck. Officers found two loaded handguns in Murray’s vehicle, along with two boxes of ammunition, $6,843 in cash and “a green leafy substance that appeared to be marijuana by look and smell.”

Murray said he had a concealed carry permit for the guns. He was charged with reckless driving, resisting an officer without violence and possessing more than 20 grams of cannabis.

Murray claimed that the officer provided no reason for the initial arrest and questioned why his body camera did not capture the entire incident. The officer wrote that he did not switch on the camera at first because he was focused on dealing with Murray.

Psychiatric commitment

Court records show that a doctor in July 2022 deemed Murray incompetent to proceed with pre-trial hearings and in need of treatment. He was committed to Florida State Hospital, a psychiatric facility in Chattahoochee.

Murray claimed that while in Chattahoochee, he was abused and beaten by security guards. After his release, court records show that Murray was adjudicated guilty of reckless driving and resisting arrest and sentenced to just over one year, with credit for time served.

The unauthorized transfer of his property occurred while he was incarcerated, Murray said. He said the perpetrators deeded ownership to their relatives and are now living in his former home in Frostproof.

Court records from Polk County show that Murray was arrested for voyeurism in 2003, resulting in misdemeanor probation.

'Someone who's been wronged by the system'

Along with those personal experiences, Murray strongly criticized Judd in explaining his decision to run for sheriff. He faulted the longtime sheriff on many grounds: not ordering dashboard and body cameras for deputies, delivering harsh opinions about suspects in news conferences that damage their reputations even if they are not convicted and for creating a culture of excessive violence by deputies.

“Who better to have represent the people than someone who's been wronged by the system and is looking to make sure that other people aren't wronged by the system, whether they're murdered, whether they're fraudulently attacked, whether their stuff is stolen?” Murray said.

Murray acknowledged that he has no law enforcement experience, which means he is “not sullied.” Asked whether he has run an organization, he mentioned his experience leading crews on a rebuilding effort in the Panhandle after a hurricane.

As of Wednesday, Judd had reported about $493,000 in campaign donations. A political committee, Friends of Grady Judd, also reports more than $374,000 in contributions. Murray has not reported any contributions.

The deadline for qualifying is June 14.

Gary White can be reached at [email protected] or 863-802-7518. Follow on X @garywhite13.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Polk sheriff candidate fueled by complaints about law enforcement