Deputy Refuses To Accept Firing Over Response To Call

April 10, 2009
wftv.com

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. -- The deputy who investigated a call for service from the man who ended up finding Caylee Anthony's remains was fired by the Orange County Sheriff's Office, but he refused the termination and will keep his job until an appeal is heard.

VIDEO REPORT: Cain Refuses To Be Fired
CAIN INTERVIEWS: December 18 2008 January 14 2009
DOCUMENT: Deputy Spent 25 Minutes At Scene

An investigation of Deputy Richard Cain, regarding his response and investigation of a call for service from Roy Kronk on August 13, 2008, found his response to be "unsatisfactory" and "additional effort should have been expended by him to exhaust the findings of the call," the report released from revealed.

Deputy Cain testified on December 18, 2008 and again on January 14, 2009 and the investigation deemed his testimony to be "untruthful."

The resulting punishment for his actions is two-fold, according to the sheriff's office. Cain is to receive 160 hours suspension without pay for "Unsatisfactory Performance" and termination for being untruthful.

However, Cain didn't accept the termination and is fighting the recommendation. He gets two appeals. If he loses the first appeal, he'll be fired immediately. A second appeal would be heard after his termination.

The Orange County Sheriff's Office said it could be weeks before a ruling on the first appeal in Cain asks for an extension. If he doesn't, it could be a week or two before a ruling.

Deputy Cain was assigned to the supply section by the sheriff's office pending the appeal he has requested and has no law enforcement powers during that time.

"The information that Deputy Cain lied about the most critical piece of evidence in the case played second fiddle all week. Instead, most people focused on analyzing Casey Anthony’s behavior at various junctures in this tragic case," Marti Mackenzie, spokesperson for Jose Baez, wrote in a statement released early Friday evening. "The defense knows what's relevant, and we are concentrating on that."