By Shoshana Walter
The Ledger
BARTOW, Fla. — A detention deputy was almost fired after getting into two profanity-riddled arguments with inmates at the Polk County Jail, a Polk Sheriff’s report said.
Anna Cantres, 28, resigned Oct. 21 before an internal investigation was complete. Investigators ultimately found she violated four general orders involving improper conduct and recommended her dismissal.
According to an internal report, the first incident occurred about 11:45 p.m. April 16 while Cantres was conducting an armband count in the Lima dormitory in the Central County Jail. Inmate Jennifer Phillips refused to show Cantres her armband, setting off the altercation, the report said.
The two exchanged insults before Phillips told Cantres “she knows where Cantres lives and that she has a son.” Witnesses said Cantres then allowed another inmate to enter Phillips cell and hit her. Phillips emerged asking for a supervisor and Cantres followed her back into her cell, where witnesses say she pushed her in the chest.
Another inmate stepped between Cantres and Phillips, according to witnesses, and Cantres told Phillips never to threaten her son because she was not afraid to lose her uniform, the report said.
Another detention deputy notified a lieutenant about the incident. An investigation began and Cantres was reassigned to another dormitory that night within the Central County Jail where the second incident occurred.
About 5:30 a.m. on April 17, Cantres became angry with inmate Sofia Lemonier when Lemonier refused to get in line with other inmates during medication rounds in the dormitory. The two began to argue, forcing another detention deputy to get between them and escort Lemonier to a holding cell, the report said.
Cantres previously had been disciplined in five similar cases during her three years as a detention deputy, resulting in counseling and anger management training, the report said.
Copyright 2010 Lakeland Ledger Publishing Corporation