Sheriff nabs 27 on ID theft charges (Gulf Breeze News)

Sheriff nabs 27 on ID theft charges
BY FRANKLIN HAYES
Gulf Breeze News
franklin@gulfbreezenews.com

The Santa Rosa Sheriff's Office is working to crack down on undocumented workers in the area. As a result of their diligence, 27 had been arrested and nine have already been convicted and sentenced as of press time.

Sheriff's deputies are responding to complaints from the community and are inspecting the documentation of those they suspect of being in the United States illegally. The sheriff's office began what they are calling an Area Improvement Management Task Force and inspected 22 business throughout the county, including Publix and Hiawatha nursery in Navarre. Sources say El Toro Bravo in Gulf Breeze closed temporarily when the taskforce made headlines in recent weeks. Restaurant management, which declined to be identified, said the temporary closing was for improvements. The restaurant was not inspected by deputies.

Sheriff Wendell Hall maintains that his deputies are not raiding businesses and homes, as has been reported in other media, but are performing voluntary inspections.

"We don't close down business- es," Hall said. "We go to the employer and ask to look at [their employee's] documentation. We run the social security number through a computer and if the name and the number don't match, we make the arrest."

Hall added that the violation, using false documents to obtain employment, is a third degree felony. When asked if the sheriff's office was looking for evidence of more organized activities like human trafficking or document fabrication, Hall said his deputies weren't getting much help.

"Some [of the arrested suspects] say they got them in the Wal-Mart parking lot, others said they paid for it before they left Mexico," Hall said.

One sheriff's office source said all of the task force's activities have stemmed from resident's complaints.

"If we don't have any complaints, we don't do any inspections," said Sgt. Marc Ward. "These are not raids. A raid means we come and kick your door down and we have a warrant. In this situation, we are asking people for their compliance."

Sheriff Hall said his office is taking a progressive role on this issue because "people are taking advantage of innocent people for their own personal gain."

Hall added that one recovered social security number actually belonged to a soldier currently fighting in Iraq.

In an email, sheriff's office sources explained the source and reason behind the false documentation.

"One of the findings from the other agencies was that the incidences of persons using false documents to obtain employment not only included people who were in the U.S. illegally but also U.S. citizens that were trying to avoid arrest on criminal warrants," deputies wrote in the email. "Another finding was that these documents had been stolen from U.S. citizens and were being provided or sold to illegal immigrants coming over the border."

Because the inspections are generated from citizen complaints, the sheriff's office is urging people to report suspicious activity by calling 850- 983-1198.