Man in wheelchair incident again under investigation

TAMPA -- Brian Sterner, the quadriplegic man who made national news after a detention deputy dumped him from his wheelchair at the Orient Road Jail, is under investigation again, according to the Hillsborough Sheriff's Office.

One of Sterner's neighbors called deputies Saturday, alleging misconduct by Sterner, said sheriff's spokesman J.D. Callaway.

Callaway declined to give details about the incident, but he did say that deputies had turned over the case to prosecutors. He added that deputies recommended one felony and one misdemeanor charge of criminal mischief. No charges had been filed by Monday afternoon, according to the jail log and court records.

"We have forwarded the investigation to the State Attorney's Office," Callaway said.

Assistant State Attorney Pam Bondi said she did not have details about the incident.

Sterner's attorney, Michael Maddux, did not immediately return a call for comment.

Sterner has become a widely known figure in recent months. After an arrest on a traffic warrant, he was dumped from his wheelchair at the jail. When a video that captured the incident was made public, Hillsborough Sheriff David Gee issued a public apology. The incident also sparked a review of the jail by an independent commission of experts and prompted a flurry of other abuse allegations by former jail inmates.

-- Abbie VanSickle, Times staff writer