There are good cops and bad cops. In the case of Florida it is good sheriffs and bad sheriffs. I had the utmost respect for Volusia county sheriffs, until I witnessed the brutality committed to my 58 year old husband Marco Marmolejos. Friday August 27, 2010 around 10:00 p.m. I called 911 to ask them to send someone over because my husband is Bi-polar and Mental unstable had gone on a rampage and was breaking everything in the house, I needed someone to restrain him and take him to the hospital. The 911 operator kept on asking questions and I told her that I was calling from home to please send help and I ran outside. Marco had a weeder in his hands. The officers thought he was going to use it on them. One officer jumped on him and I kept saying he was a mental patient. The officer began to punch my husband and being a mentally distressed man he put the officer on a neck hold. After a hard struggle Marco gave up, they put both handcuffs on him and began to punch and kick him. They tazed, maced, kicked and punched him in his ribs repeatedly even while on restraint. Then while he was sitting down with his hands handcuffed behind his back, another officer emptied the maze can on Marco’s face. My neighbor told them that my husband was a mental patient at the VA hospital but no one listened. There were around 6 cars and 4 officers hitting my husband. Their superior officer who was there too, was very arrogant and nasty, he went as far to say that my husband was a bi-polar by convenience. He asked if I was hurt I said no. My husband would never hurt me, I called them to restrain my husband from hurting himself and they took it upon them to profile my husband beat him up. The doctors had to intubate Marco and put him in a ventilator. He was not breathing right. I went to see him at the hospital and he had tubes all over his body, his face was swollen, he had a big gash on his right eye. Those sheriffs had a party hitting Marco. Marco was unconscious in intensive care for 5 days, then transferred to a Mental hospital. I took pictures of the bruises Marco received when he was beaten. I went to speak with the Sheriff Sergeant and explained what his men had done. Naturally he was on his men’s side. He kept saying that I thought what I saw. I kept telling him I do not think, I saw. Then he said that officers have a right to punch and kick assailants. I explained to him and so did my neighbor Kris that Marco is bi-polar, he has mental problems. I explained all that happened but he kept on saying that he was not there and maybe people think they see what they think they saw.
I continued to tell the sergeant that I did not think, I saw. After talking to the sergeant, we agreed that if he spoke to his men and let them know what they did was wrong I would let it go.
I changed my mind when the nurse informed me that one of the Sheriffs was at the hospital at 1:00 am Sunday morning. He was bullying the nurses for information about Marco. He went as far to say that Marco was using drugs. The nurses had to call the Supervising nurse who told him that he had no reason to go bully her nurses for information. That is against the law. The nurse Breea said that when Marco was examined there was no drugs in his system, not even his medications. They found Alcohol, but it was not a high level. The Doctors did however find that Marco had Rhabdonylosis in his kidney which may have been caused by the kicking and hitting that he received from the sheriffs.
Sunday afternoon around 2:30 more or less, I saw one of the sheriffs at the nurses station asking for information about Marco. I guess he did not realize that I was there. I kept quiet to see what he was going to do. Due to my hearing problem all I understood was, when the supervisor told him that she was sorry but she could not give him any information. The sheriffs know that they are backed up against the wall and are looking for an excuse to get out of the mess they got themselves into.
My son Ken came over and we spoke, I had to give a code to the nurses and permission for the nurses to give Ken information. Without the code no one will get any information about Marco. We decided not to sue or pursue this any more. The Sergeant had told Kris and I that they were not going to press charges, because since Marco is a mental patient the officers take him to the hospital, and that was the end of that.
Wrong, April 29 Marco received a letter from court asking him to appear May 5, 2011 at 8:30 a.m., we did not know why but Marco was told it was for the sheriffs incident. Well Surprise! He was arrested and taken to jail, with a $1,500. bail, because they say he did not show up at court date that was given to him. There was a warrant out for his arrest for failure to go to court. The Sheriffs never gave us any papers. I thought that maybe Marco had done something and was lying. When I went to the Bondsman he said it was because of the sheriff incident. I paid $150.00 for the $1500. bond that was holding Marco in Jail. Marco is being charged for assaulting an officer. I do not know why we were not told, but I realize that the sheriff was lying and wanted to give us a surprise without giving us time to get legal help. We cannot afford a lawyer at this time,and I have written to everybody who is VIP, I have written letters to back up other people and signed many petitions to help others in need, it is their turn to help me. Deltona Sheriffs are very abusive, and Volusia County court does not want to mail court dates, I saw many people arrested for failure to appear in court, who had no idea they had a court date. When Marco was released from jail, after the bail bond was paid, he was not given any kind of paper or court date. We had to call the court house to get the court date, they said that they will mail the court date. We still have no papers from court or anyone in the justice department.
I cannot let this abuse go unpunished. I feel other people should know about this abuse. If one can help us, Any information or pictures while he is in hospital, e-mail me I have many pictures. I know that many are afraid to face these Sheriffs or Government Officials, someone has to stop them. The good officers are paying the consequences.
