YULEE, Fla. — A former inmate in the Nassau County Jail is alleging he was mistreated by officers during his brief hold in April. Michael Gabor told Action News he had just begun employment at the business, and that a co-worker was mistaken when reporting him to the Fernandina Beach Police Department.
According to the Nassau County jail booking report, Gabor had been fired from his position that day and refused to leave the business' property.
Nassau County officials say Gabor was also defiant from the moment he arrived at the jail.
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Undersheriff George Lueders said his officers were forced to use pepper spray and a chair to restrain Gabor, which are tactics necessary when officers’ commands are ignored.
Lueders said Gabor was erratic, aggressive, and refused to wear a jumpsuit.
"If you don't have compliance then you have anarchy within the jail," said Lueders, when asked about the jailhouse video obtained of Gabor's time within the jail.
"When they took him to change into his jumpsuit he became defiant. He said he wasn't doing it. We even had a correctional officer show him how to do it because he said it didn't know how," Lueders said.
"At no point did I fight them," said Gabor, also in response to the video. He told Action News a very different story.
"I tried to put the outfit on but it was too small. I tried again, but the second one they brought me was also too small. I remember him saying, 'Boy, you're pissing me off. I'm gonna go get the spray,' and I had no idea what he meant," Gabor said.
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Gabor is a local tax attorney who admits to a prior issue with law enforcement, but said that charge never led to an extended time in jail, and that he was unaware of the tactics in place to restrain inmates.
Over the course of the four-hour video of Gabor's time in the Nassau County jail in April, he is seen being restrained twice, and a hood is placed over his head. He showed Action News photos of the injuries he says he received that night.
"I just remember screaming for my life because I couldn't breathe," he said.
Lueders stands by his officers, and points out that the video shows nurses checking Gabor's blood pressure while being restrained. He said the hood was necessary because Gabor tried to kick and spit on officers.
"As long as you keep them under control and they don't injure themselves or the correctional officers then it's a success," said Lueders.
Gabor said he respects the law and law enforcement officers and that he was not aggressive toward them. He said none of the actions taken toward him were necessary.
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