Nick Finch is fighting back after his recent suspension as Liberty County Sheriff and June 4 arrest for official misconduct.
As previously reported, Finch is accused of destroying documents following the arrest of a Liberty County man charged with having a concealed weapon without a permit. Finch says he believes in Second Amendment rights and felt the man never should have been charged.
Supporters gathered at the plaza outside the Capitol building in Tallahassee Friday morning for a rally in support of Sheriff Finch. The event was organized by Libertarian Gubernatorial candidate, Adrian Wyllie.
Attendees expected to hear Governor Rick Scott speak at 2 p.m., but he failed to show. A representative from his office told The County Record Friday, “Governor Scott was not scheduled to speak at any rally today,” providing a schedule that included two meetings up to 11:15 a.m.
Wyllie and supporters at the rally went to the Governor’s office and were told he had flown to Paris. Earlier that morning, Wyllie says the Governor’s staff told him he would be in meetings all day. “It's amazing how the Governor's schedule changed so dramatically in such a short period of time, isn't it?” Wyllie quipped.
Despite the absence of Governor Scott, the show went on as planned. At one point, the group was reportedly approached by capitol security officers who told them to leave since the plaza area had not been reserved. Supporters insisted it was a peaceful protest and they had a right to be there.
“As the TV news cameras rolled, our invited speakers clearly discredited the State's claim that Sheriff Finch violated the law,” Wyllie remarked. “We all commended Sheriff Finch for upholding his oath to defend the Constitution. Our loud PA system rattled the office windows of Rick Scott and [Attorney General] Pam Bondi. Sheriff Finch capped off the rally by reciting his oath of office to resounding applause.”
Since his arrest and suspension, a former Liberty County Jail nurse has come forward with allegations that she was sexually harassed by Finch. As reported last week, Jennifer Bailey says she has 180 pages of Facebook messages between the two of them to back up her claims.
Finch vehemently denies Bailey’s allegations. He posted an excerpt from his last Facebook conversation with Bailey that shows her stating, “Allow me to clarify ‘innocent flirting’ because you and I both know nothing ever happened between the two of us.”
Finch further stated, “I will be happy to take a lie detector test. Will she?”
Bailey responded this week by stating, “He does have a Facebook message saying nothing happened. That I was innocently flirting. That is beacause it started out as innocent flirting....and when he made passes at me I never let anything happen between us. So his statement is correct. But his intentions were clear. He was inappropriate and the events did happen as stated in the complaint to the EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission). Providing that message proves nothing. Why won't he provide every message between us? Because they are inappropriate and he knows this.”
The County Record has asked both Bailey and Finch to share the 180 pages of messages. Neither have provided them.
