The letter I sent to Sheriff Mike Scott as well as other officials. Below it his response

Dear Sheriff Mike Scott,

Since it seems that you are unavailable to sit down and have a meeting with us or unavailable to call us because of you being at the FBI academy for 10weeks. Though this throws us off a little because you were available for a news interview to offer defense for the officer who shot my dog. How does that work? The last time I checked it was people like me and my husband who care about our county who got you elected, yet you don't have the time for them until something like this happens and then instead of dealing with it yourself you send word by the news. This is such a let down to me because I use to look at you with respect and admiration. Now I like many other citizens am tired of hearing the lies and the excuses that just fly out of your mouth. Come on Sheriff, take a look at the whole situation and see how long we have had issues with our neighbors, how many times we have spoken with narcotics, how many times we have needed area checks to make us feel safe in our own home. Then just out of the blue the same people we have issues with calls LCSO instead of animal control for a dog out of a fence, knowing that the dog was not violent and knowing that it belonged to us. You guys come running, and end up shooting the dog IN THE SIDE, TWICE because he CLAIMS that the dog was aggressively advancing towards him. You know that is some BS as well as I do and as well as many other citizens in Lee County. If any animal is approaching you, it would have been a straight shot for the face, neck, or head not the total opposite side of the dog. Plus here is more FACTS for you, the crappy report that has been plastered all over the newspress.com and naplesnews.com has conflicting stories between the officer and the witness as well as 3rd person account from the second officer. It may be your job to stand up for your officers, but think about this, isnt the officer who shot our dog the same officer who discharged his weapon in the justice center and was reprimanded and made to take remedial weapons safety? Here is a link to the story in case you need to refresh your memory http://airbornecombatengineer.typepad.com/airborne_combat_engineer/2006/07/ad_of_the_day_2.html
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I am sorry if you think that I am being hateful or disrespectful to you because of the position that you hold, but I hold a position that I value and respect more: I am a mother, a wife, a citizen, and a pet owner. All of those positions are the reason that I will not give up on this whole Justice for Coco campaign that started on craigslist and that has spread so quickly. I will continue to get my voice heard until there are answers that make sense instead of half truths that are designed to help you and your officers avoid scrutiny. Here is the last post that I put on craigslist. I am sure that some people may have already pointed it out to you as many of the other posts were brought to light, but I want you to really read it and see just where we are coming from.
It is also sad when it takes the County Commissioners Office sending you an email about our situation in order for you to direct someone to look in our direction for the situation that we have been dealing with for almost a year. We truly feel that this action was possibly used as a distraction to get our focus off of holding LCSO accountable for the incident that occurred on January 22nd with our dog and the deputy.
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Here is the posting:
Please go to http://justiceforcoco.blogspot.com/ and become a follower of our blog and raise your voice to show your support for the fight that we are in. our beloved dog was shot on 1/22/2010 and we are doing everything in our power to get our voice heard. Please become a follower for our cause and help us make a big scream so things will change around here.
Many of you may have seen the Fox 4 news clip this evening, it is a shame that you did not get to see the other 95% that seems to have been censored out. The time that it took to interview me, take pictures of my home, outside my house, and whatever else they did took alittle over an hour. The interview was suppose to get our voice out there in order for us to voice our concerns. The biggest concern was if our dog was attacking or trying to attack the responding officer why was he shot in the side? Why do the online reports tell conflicting stories? Why is the officer not available for comment? Why was Mike Scott not available to speak with us or sit down for a meeting with us because he was suppose to be in the academy for 10wks but he suddenly shows up when a story is going to air? There are so many holes in this I am sure that we are never going to get to the bottom of it, but I promised you before that we were not going to give up and we will keep posting these ads, we will continue getting our voice heard on our blog, and we will continue having people stand behind us because they too are sick and tired of hearing about trigger happy officers who shoot because their target practice needs refreshing!
What is the policy for officers, and if there is one in affect why do they not follow any of it? Why is it that when a dog is shot no matter the breed they always justify it by saying it was attacking them or it was aggressive? Why does the story always get turned around to make them look like they actually Protect and Serve when in reality it seems that they just do as they please and get away with it? What is the case, since they are the law they are above the law? It is such a shame that this is what our law enforcement has come to, it is a shame that us as the people can no longer depend on them to do the job that we thought they were hired to do. Is there just so much crime out there that these officers are like stone that nothing seems to bother then anymore?
I am sorry, I understand stress,I am a mother of 3, I have had hard knocks, we live day to day, we struggle just like anyone else, but I will never let the stress of life get in the way of how I handle another life(in this case the life of our dog)! I also would think that when officers like this one get so stressed out because of his personal issues going on in his life that maybe he should ask for some time off instead of going out on the job and putting not only my dog in jeopardy but the lives of people he is suppose to protect. I suppose this will just be classified as one of those times that he accidentally discharged his weapon, but this time he wont get a slap on the wrist or be sent to do remedial weapons training, he will get a pat on the back and be sent on his merry way! Where is the justice in that, sorry there is none! According to articles that we have read when a weapon is fired on the job there should be an administrative investigation, but in this case we are told that they will not investigate the shooting, only the way he spoke to us! Why is that, maybe because they might just find out that the officer could have chosen a different path to follow instead of firing his weapon? Or see that the report has conflicting stories between the witness and the officer?
This case is going to split wide open before we are done with it. We have been in the New Press paper as well as online. We were in the Naples News, Marco News, and on many online topic chats and forums. This is no longer on a local level and we are going to continue to push it to the farthest point we can take it. For those of you who have already voiced your support to us, please continue. We appreciate it more than words can say! Coco deserves justice and one way or another he will get it!!!
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Maybe if you took more time to really listen to the citizens of Lee County you would see that we are not happy. There is so much that needs to be changed, but no one is willing to stand up and fight for it. Well, I may not be a person that is in leadership or in authority, but I am a person that is determined to be the kind of individual that never gives up in something she believes in. I teach my children that PRINCIPLE is the biggest and most important thing, and this is what I will hold on to. I just wish there were more people out there in law enforcement that remember that PRINCIPLE, LOYALTY, PROTECTION, and SERVICE is all part of the job they signed on for. It's not about how many notches that have on their belt or how many ego boosts they receive, its about that oath they took to do everything in their power to make Lee County a better place.
I am related to many police officers, and I hope that they never get that attitude that since they are the law that they are above it and if they start to feel that way that they put away the badge and go back to the basics.
Here is a quote that I stumbled on when I was reading about you on the Lee County Sheriffs website. It made me almost stumble out of my chair when I read this. I really had to laugh at the reality of it being such an oxymoron. Here is what I am referring to:

Sheriff Mike Scott is prepared for the challenges ahead and is always quick to promote the agency and its members’ performance. “I am the coach in the dugout, and I fully realize the importance of the players on the field…if they don’t make the plays, we lose.” “Fortunately, I have a team loaded with all-stars.”
http://www.sheriffleefl.org/about/sheriff.aspx
If this was truly the case, then why is your team losing so badly? Why has your rating as a sheriff hit an all-time low?
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In searching on google I have found some interesting things here are just a few:
Lee County, Fl. Sheriff "Mike Scott" needs to be removed
Tue, 10/07/2008 - 11:19 — Anonymous (not verified)
Here he is in full disgusting bigoted flagrantia: His name is Mike Scott, Lee County Sheriff and he needs to be charged with "inciting violence" at the McCain/Palin rally yesterday. He needs to be charged with this crime immediately and removed from his position.
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The Fort Myers Coalition for Justice, Inc. announced it will no longer support Sheriff Mike Scott during the November election. Instead, it's putting its support behind another candidate for sheriff... Independent, Christian Meister. The group tells us, had the Sheriff not worn his uniform, opinions would be different.
Sheriff Scott tells WINK News he is "unequivocally certain there was no wrong doing at any level." He says the Sheriff's Office as a department falls under the Hatch Act, the office of the Sheriff...does not.http://www.winknews.com/news/top/30542194.html
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In a November 2009 press conference about the agency's unionization vote, Scott abruptly stopped to exclude Rachel Revehl, investigative reporter with The Fort Myers News-Press, who had exposed his relationship with convicted felon and former Cali Cartel member Dick Spence.(why exclude someone that was just telling the truth?)In August 2009 the Ft. Myers News-Press reported that Scott had a long standing friendship with Alva businessman Dick Spence, who was convicted and served prison time in the 1990's for money laundering and kidnaping. [15] The News-Press also pointed out that the Lee County Sheriff's department had a policy of firing or disciplining officers who associated with known felons. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_J._Scott
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Sheriff Mike Scott spent more time out of the office on non-business trips last year than any other elected constitutional officer in Lee County, an analysis by The News-Press shows.http://www.news-press.com/article/20100110/SS15/1100375/Sheriff-Mike-Scott-tops-in-Lee-County-in-time-out-of-office
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Sheriff Mike Scott told state law enforcement one story; his e-mails tell another. http://www.news-press.com/article/20100109/SS15/100108101/Lee-County-Sheriff-Mike-Scott%5C-s-claim-changed--records-show
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Smooth talk proves enough to bail out Lee County sheriff http://www.news-press.com/article/20100123/COLUMNISTS02/1240390
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"Nobody is going to lie to me or my kids," Scott said.http://blog.reidreport.com/labels/Sheriff%20Mike%20Scott.html So with this statement, then why is it ok for you and your officers to lie to me and my kids? What 15 departments do I need to file complaints with?
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Lee County Sheriff Mike Scott is well aware of the DV calls to IA on his deputies, however, he makes the victim a defendant to protect his department.http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=24319378&blogId=418804390 This whole thing sickened me, especially your response to this woman.
- On Tue, 7/8/08, Mike Scott .. wrote:
From: Mike Scott ..
Subject: Re: Questions
To: comments2marian@yahoo.com
Date: Tuesday, July 8, 2008, 10:13 AM
Frankly ma'am...you rant and rave too much for me. While I regret that you have not found the answers and results you are apparently looking for, our agency has investigated all claims and rendered fair and impartial decisions.
I read your inflammatory message over the weekend and see no need to engage in a volley of e-mail; therefore, consider this my final communication with you.
Mike -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
(I am appalled that you would speak to someone who was dealing with legitimate issues, and just because you didn't want to hear them you dismissed them with no real thought! It is sad to know that the people that help get you into office are the ones that you are stepping on to get to the top!!)
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I am sure with all of these articles you are able to see the point that I am making. I am sure that I can keep reading on google and I will continue to see and read more articles that are unsatisfactory views of you while in office, but I do not want to stray to far from the point and issue at hand. I am asking you, to sit down, read all of the facts in our incident and see it from another side of view not just the view of protector of your officer and your department. With or without your help we are going to continue our fight, have you ever heard the saying, "its ok to admit fault"? I do believe this is one of those times that this saying should come to light.
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I have been told by many people that if this letter was sent to you that I will become a target for you and your department, I do hope that is not the case and I do hope that it is just people being concerned for me and my family. I do not want issues for myself or any of my family members, I am only utilizing and exercising my 1st amendment right to freedom of speech. I would hope that you as a an officer of the law remember it is your duty to PROTECT me not to harass me and make my life more difficult than it often is. If I find that I become a target in any way actions will be taken to insure it is stopped immediately. My true goal is to get my issues and my concerns resolved and not pushed under the rug. If you feel that I am being persistent then I take that as a compliment, that means I am on the right path to completing something that I started. Please remember that I respect your badge, but I do disagree with the way things are being handled in each of the issues that we are currently dealing with.

Amy Sica on behalf of my whole family

***ALL REFERENCES WERE FOUND WHILE SEARCHING ON GOOGLE.*** For some reason the links are not enabled on here so please if you want to see what I am talking about just copy and paste them into your browser.****

HIS RESPONSE TO MY EMAIL******
I find your tone disrespectful and out of line; hence my abbreviated reply. I regret the situation and sympathize with your loss; however, it is your responsibility to ensure that your pet is tethered or contained on your property so spare me the blame game and consider this my final correspondence with you on this matter.

Mike
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Isn't this just wonderful? How nice of a sheriff to take an email that took so much time to write and just give me such a short response. This is a man that I no longer have any respect for. He could have put some thought into my letter before he responded, but just like his officer he acts first that thinks later. Just the kind of man we need in leadership!

A Factual Time-line of events

These times are based on our cell phone records, and the police preliminary report that we were given. We still have not received the full report.

10:25 We arrived at Mugs in Lehigh to Sing
11: 19 Call come in to the Sheriffs Office
11: 21 Officer arrived  (this is conflicting because in the report found online he says he arrived at 11:45)
11: 47 In report states he shot dog and closed case (in the online report no time was stated)

12:07 Neighbor in front of us hears two shots fired
12:10 Neighbor tries to call me
12:16 Husband cell gets call
12:17 Husband gets call/deputy leaves message
12:17 Neighbor and I are speaking while I am driving home
12:22 I call Lee County Sheriffs Office
12:25 Officer calls my cell phone/he is cursing, and being horrible rude/husband hangs up on him
12:27 Officer calls my phone back/same thing again
12:30 We arrived home

Now here is where things are being questioned by us, how could Coco be shot at 11:47 if the shots were not heard till 12:07? Also how could he have been killed already and the case by close at 11:47 if in the second report he says he didnt get there until 11:21? Seems like there are alot of time holes in the story. This makes it even more disturbing to us because there is just no way if he was there for that little bit of time that he took the precautions that he could and should have. Here's another thing, if you look at the online report, the second deputy did a sworn statement, but instead of talking as the person writing it most of his comments and referrals are done in the third person, why is that? The witness, the neighbor with the restraining order against us stated that she saw what was going on and that the officer came over to our house and was unable to get out of the car because Coco was growling and barking, first problem wrong with that statement is it was dark, if the officer was in our driveway there is no possible way for her to have seen our driveway or what was going on. Second problem with that is that the officer said he was at the neighbors property, so which is it? The witness, claims that Coco was on the ground about 15ft from her lanai, it was more like 30-35ft because he was right along our fence line which is approximately 40ft from her lanai. Is this not sad that there was only approx. 5 feet from our property. We know this because the restraining order had to be adjusted so we wouldn't be in violation when we go out into our backyard.
When the ACTUAL report is released to us we can only imagine that the times and stories with probably differ on that one also.

Please read: Information about the deputy and the information regarding shooting

 Someone put this on the News Press site and thought we might be interested in it, so we are sharing it with you.

vigilante7039 wrote:

Our shooter:
An apparent case of multitasking ended with a bang for one Lee County sheriff’s deputy.
Cpl. Ross DiPasquale was working a security shift July 14 at the Lee County Justice Center when he accidentally fired his Glock .45 caliber pistol.
DiPasquale was sitting in the restroom and decided to give his gun some extra attention. As he sat there with gun in hand, a bullet suddenly fired from the weapon’s barrel.
Perhaps he'd be better off playing with his "other gun" in the restroom.
“He decided to do something, cleaning or checking or whatever he did with that gun, there was an accidental discharge,” Scott said. “Nobody heard the shot.”
Scott issued DiPasquale a written reprimand and ordered him to undergo remedial weapons handling courses.
DiPasquale works as a detective in the major crimes unit. He earns $60,431 a year. He was working overtime when the incident occurred, Scott said.
Friday, 28 July 2006 at 09:12
Southwest Florida Free Press
1/26/2010 8:07:07 PM

What we are standing for, and our mission

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=to5O5qunufQ

It is our goal to get as many people as we can to stand with us to take a stand against the animal cruelty in today's society just because of the "breed". When are people going to realize that it does not matter if it is a pit, a poodle, a boxer, a lab, or any other kind of dog, the dog is a reflection of the owner!! We want to do our best to make sure that this kind of incident does not happen to anyone else out there. We know that things will not change over night but we are positive that in our situation we will not be able to grieve properly or even find peace until we begin to see some justice in Coco's honor. I know with all my heart that this fight is something he would want us to not give up on. If you knew Coco you would have fallen in love with him. He just wanted love, admiration, and companionship! It amazed me how intelligent he was. It also amazes me that someone would be able to look him in his eyes and just pull the trigger because of a "Chance". That is not justice, but I, as well as my whole family will make sure that he did not die in vain. At this time I can not see good coming out of this, but I know in my heart that if in his death we are able to cause a big enough stir and we are able to get enough people to stand up behind us we will make a difference.

Update on how things are going

We met with internal affairs this morning and didn't get much of a response. They will investigate the way we were treated, but not the firing of the gun, nor the shooting and killing of Coco. They said that being what "breed" it was, they are allowed through procedure to go ahead and shoot. This was not what we wanted to hear, though the man spoke with great clarity it all seemed to make sure the officer was not in the wrong.
On a good note we spoke with Wink News this morning and are waiting on a reporter to call us back. We are crossing our fingers and hoping for a chance to have the media get our voice out there.
Another good note is that I have been speaking to Ryan Lengerich with the Fort Myers News Press and he has been so helpful and compassionate.  I have sent him some information that he wanted to view. We are hoping that he will run with the story. It was the first hump just getting someone to listen to me. I will continue to keep you posted as more people respond to us. Don't forget to help us spread the word by posting our link where ever you can and please have family, friends, and coworkers do the same thing! Thank you so much!

Just a few times that we have had LCSO to our home

 4/13/2009  Harassment *neighbors were on our property threatening to shot us and our dogs, they would      not leave our house
11/09/2009 Area check
11/10/2009 Neighbors threatening to shot our dogs if they keep barking, Issues with neighbors
11/18/2009 Neighbors called said we were screaming at them at 6am
11/26/2009 Neighbors called said our dogs were a nuisance
12/11/2009 Suspicious Person in woods beside our house/ could hear neighbors talking and calling each others name
12/12/2009 Area check
12/16/2009 Area check
12/20/2009 Issues with neighbors
12/24/2009 Shots fired behind our home
12/27/2009 Neighbors call said dogs are a nuisance
12/28/2009 Area check
01/22/2010 Neighbors flooding our yard with sprinklers, ground washing out, neighbor claims she does it on purpose to get dogs away from the fence
01/23/2010 Area check

This are just a few of the dates. We will add more when the Lee County Sheriffs Office Record Department releases them to me. They say its confidential, so I have to go pick up the reports. Anything to make a buck for copies!

The kind of neighbor we are dealing with

http://www.sheriffleefl.org/about/jaildetention/arrestbk.aspx?id=156648&bk=541768

Our situation

Many of you have been following the posts that we have put on craigslist but we wanted a better place for people to be able to go and place comments, view updates, and to show your support. We are going to do whatever we can to get our voice heard in whatever way we can. With knowing that there are many other animal lovers out there that feel our pain and also agree that something has to be done about these trigger happy officers it is making our mission even stronger. I am going to post some of the posts that we have publish and you can get a little background history of what we are dealing with. There is alot to read, but we feel that people deserve to know exactly what we have been going through in dealing with all of this. It is physically and emotionally draining. We are hoping that if we can get enough support then maybe someone high up will finally get the hint that if the sheriffs office would have done their jobs in the first place, protected and helped us, then not only would we still have our dog we would not be dealing with neighbors that really shouldn't even be out and about on the street.
We have started this blog because we need a voice louder than ours because it seems that ours is constantly drown out. It seems that every avenue we take we are shot down before anything is taken care of. We have been dealing with issues with our neighbors since last Easter and the issues are getting larger and larger. We have several occasions where we have had to call the Sheriffs office to report threats of violence on ourselves and our animals. We have been unable to get help. We tried to file a restraining order against them and it was denied. The neighbor files one against us based on false accusations and was granted the restraining order. How is this justice? We tried to file a motion to get a rehearing and the judge denied our request. We are getting shot down on everything we try to do. I have contacted the neighbors property manager/real estate agent and every conversation/email that I had with her she released to her tenants. This caused more issues. We have seen and heard the neighbors deal drugs and have been in contact with the narcotics unit but nothing has been done. The neighbors cover their tracks well and have made it look like the person that deals does not live in the home. We own our home and can not get up and just move away.I know this is all a lot to take in but please read over it and let me know if there is someway you can help us get to the bottom of something.  All of these issues that we have been having lead to the events listed below.
Friday January 22nd, while my husband and myself were out our dog was shot by a Lee County Sheriffs Officer. We have had many issues with our neighbors throwing rocks at our dogs and trying to harass them through the fence. We have had so many problems with the neighbors and have called the police on them multiple times because of them threatening our home, our lives, and our animals. We have not gotten any help from the police and the neighbors were even granted a restraining order against us. This evening they again harassed my dog and he broke out of the fence, 4 officers came on my property and continued to make the dog feel threatened and eventually shot him not once but twice. the officer said he fired once but our dog had two shots in him and other neighbors heard two shots. we have spent the last hours trying to keep it together in order to be able to bury our dog. he was a great dog and a member of our family. he will be greatly missed. the officer who shot our dog was rude, cocky, and unapologetic in the whole situation. He even commented, "do you want a puppy?" We are looking for justice not just for our animal but for ourselves. We need help getting this issue taken care of. If we cant get the judge or the sheriffs office to help us then where can we turn? These neighbors have been known to deal drugs, have a criminal record, and yet the law seems to be on their side. How is this the justice that men and women risk their lives for every day? Please if there is something or some way you can help us get our voice heard we would greatly appreciate it.
We have edited some of the stuff out that we had previously posted because we do not want to be in violation of the restraining order by any means. We just want justice for Coco, and we are fighting for principle. If you have questions we can answer them out of the blog through email or whatnot but we will just focus on the issues that directly center around the night that Coco was killed. 
At this time our biggest fight is how and why our dog was killed. We can not for the life us see how at the time of night/early morning that Coco was shot what threat he would have been to anyone. We live in an area where we see stray dogs all the time, Coco had a collar on, rabies tag, and he is micro-chipped. Yes, if Animal Control would have came we would have probably been fined for him getting out, but we would still have our dog. In knowing that we have lost Coco we still have it hanging over our head that the neighbors are still there and the threat remains for the other animals that we have and for ourselves. Our big question and concern is what will happen next? All we have ever wanted was help. Help from the police, the justice system, and from a landlord. We didn't get it from any of them and now we grieve the loss of our dog and we still have to find someone willing to help us. I really truly hope that everyone who looks at this page and who reads our concerns will feel our pain, will support us, and will help us in a way that others did not! We are truly grateful for all the emails and overwhelming support that we have received and we do hope that it continues in Coco's honor!

 

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