Here's one for the books. Judge Richard Payne, who is a former chairman of the District Committee of the Boy Scouts of America, has been asked to recuse himself from a current case because one of the attorneys involved in the case was once an Eagle Scout. We're not making this up.
The owners of Key West Golf Club and Truman Annex Real Estate Co. are suing each other. The lead lawyer on the Truman Annex Real Estate legal team is Michael Barnes, who was an Eagle Scout. The owners of Key West Golf Club say they fear that they cannot get a fair trial under Payne because, they say, he "may consciously or unconsciously favor any position taken by Mr. Barnes . . . "
At press time, Judge Payne had not announced his decision as to whether or not he would recuse himself.
The possibility of life-threatening violence is a hazard law enforcement officers must live with everyday they are on the job. More than 13,500 officers have been killed in America in the line of duty. Monroe County has lost six this century.
At 7 o'clock this evening, Friday, May 19, those officers who made the supreme sacrifice for their community will be remembered in Police Memorial Day ceremonies in Key West. The Key West Police Department and the Sheriff's Office are co-hosting the ceremony at Bayview Park.
Everyone is invited to join their local law enforcement officers in honoring those officers who sacrificed their lives to ensure public safety.