SHERIFF KEN ERGLE
Ken Ergle grew up in Marion County and had been with the Sheriff’s Office for nineteen years rising from dispatcher to the rank of lieutenant. He had been the Sheriff’s Public Information Officer and that job gave him great exposure to the population of the county. Ergle had been a member of the SWAT team and the Dive Team.
Ergle came from a Marion County Law Enforcement family: his father, W. G. Ergle, was a retired Captain and his uncle, Gerald Ergle, had been a deputy in the 1960s, and later a much-respected Mayor of Ocala. In February of 1992 Ken resigned to run on the Republican ticket for Sheriff.
As an example, that history repeats itself, Sheriff Don Moreland did not really get out and campaign. Ken Ergle was hungry, he bought a twenty-year-old car, painted it green and plastered his name on the side. He personally got out and put-up signs and walked neighborhoods. He won the election by a slim margin and upon taking office, began to make his influence felt. Sheriff Moreland, in a testament to his superior character, immediately put Ergle on the payroll so he could begin to build his administration.
Because of the arrangement between Moreland and Ergle the transition was extremely smooth and had no interruption of the operational units of the agency. Sheriff Ken Ergle actually took office in late December 1992 due to a quirk in the retirement laws for Sheriff Moreland.
Sheriff Ergle initiated a massive reorganization of the agency, most of the command staff above Lieutenant was demoted one rank. Fred LaTorre became Sheriff Ergle’s first Chief Deputy.
Some of the immediate changes he made were in the appearance of the Sheriff’s Office deputies and corrections personnel. The long-time gray uniforms that had been worn since the fifties were changed to dark green uniforms which are still worn today. The markings on the patrol cars were modernized and the patch was changed.
Early in the administration the first test of the career service act happened. Sheriff Ken Ergle fired Deputy David Albury and Deputy Ken Fedders after a chase which ended in the deputies being forced to fire into a vehicle killing the felon, Tony Thomas, who was the driver of the vehicle.
The case had been presented to a grand jury which returned a No True Bill. FDLE also cleared both deputies, however Sheriff Ergle found that they had violated department policy and terminated their employment. They appealed through the new Career Service Act. By a 3 to 2 vote the board overturned the termination and the deputies were returned to duty.
In 1996 Ken Fedders would run against Sheriff Ergle. Fedders lost by a landslide to the popular Ergle.
On December 11, 1993, at about 11:00 P.M., on SE 71st Ave, a 62-year-old rape suspect shot his mother-in-law. When Deputy Jeff Gold arrived at the house, he found the victim lying on the ground and the suspect walking around the house. He was able to drag the victim to a point of cover. Deputy Jerry Bevan and Sergeant Kerry Crawford arrived as backup. The SWAT team was called, and nearby homes were evacuated. The home was surrounded and an attempt to communicate with the suspect was made. The decision was made to attempt entry into the house. The entry team was comprised of SWAT Deputies Jerry Craig, Randy Scheib, and Fred Vyse. As the team approached the house the suspect fired a 20-gauge shotgun at the deputies hitting all three, but Deputy Craig took the blunt of the blast striking his vest and hitting him in the arm. The suspect eventually shot and killed himself, none of the deputies were seriously injured.
He also toughened up the jail by the removal of the televisions from the cells, and restrictions on items that could be purchased through the inmate canteen program. He gained a reputation throughout the state for running a “no frills” jail.
About nine months into Ergle’s first term Chief Deputy Fred LaTorre was demoted to major and placed in charge of the jail. Jerry Holland Sr. was promoted to Chief Deputy.
The federal government started offering military surplus to civilian Law Enforcement. Sheriff Ergle used the Federal Surplus Program to its maximum potential in order to augment department equipment needs. Sheriff Ergle dove into this program with enthusiasm to the extreme. Before Sheriff Ergle left the office, Marion County had accumulated helicopters, airplanes, boats, weapons, furniture, vehicles, 2 modular buildings, and much more. MCSO’s involvement in that program was stopped when Sheriff Ergle left office.
The School Resource program was also expanded to include all the middle, and high schools in the County. The DARE program was also expanded to all elementary schools.
In 1995 Chief Jerry Holland Sr. retired and Dan Henry, who had been rehired under Ergle, was promoted to Chief Deputy.
By March 31, 1997, the funding for the work camp had stopped, and the facility was turned over to the Department of Juvenile Justice. The total capacity of the Jail in 1997 was 1,248 beds.
In early 1998 the first Mobile Data Terminals were installed in patrol cars allowing deputies to access dispatch, driver’s license records, and criminal information on computers from their cars.
On October 16, 1998, Marion County was shocked when allegations of theft were leveled against Sheriff Ken Ergle. He immediately resigned the Office of Sheriff and was arrested by FDLE and booked into the Marion County Jail.
The charges centered on several cash withdrawals he made from the investigative fund which is used to pay confidential informants. Over the course of about two years his several withdrawals totaled about $170,000.
Some of the senior staff members had suspicions about the Sheriff’s cash withdrawals and asked him about his activity. He told them that he was running his own investigation known as
“Operation Bird Dog” and that he would be bringing it to a conclusion shortly. Speculation is that one or more of the senior staff made the call to FDLE. About a week before his arrest investigators from FDLE interviewed the Sheriff about the money.
Although ultimately all investigations, inquires by the press and the subsequent court proceedings revealed that Ken Ergle had acted alone. The incident had cast a doubt over the agency. Governor Lawton Chiles appointed Major Steve Binegar as acting Sheriff.
Ken Ergle later pled guilty and was convicted of stealing $170,000 from an investigative fund. He was sentenced to probation and restitution. Part of his probation dictated restitution and an explanation as to where the money went.