Cover-up alleged in boot camp beating

Monday, March 20, 2006

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The boot camp will close next month.

The mother of a teenage boy beaten by boot camp guards the day before his death is accusing some authorities of a cover-up and demanding action from others.

"They tried to cover up," said Gina Jones, the mother of 14-year-old Martin Lee Anderson. "They murdered my baby. You got the sheriff. You got the medical examiner. It's happening, and it's wrong."

The guards who beat Anderson on Jan. 5 at a boot camp in Panama City haven't been charged with anything yet.

"The Bay County sheriff, the Bay County former sheriff, and the Bay County medical examiner are all working in conjunction to provide whatever protection they can for the law enforcement officers who killed their son," said Jones' attorney, Benjamin Crump.

Bay County medical examiner Charles Siebert continues to argue the teen died of a blood disorder, brought on by intense exercise just before the beating. The case was transferred to Hillsborough County State Attorney Mark Ober, and a medical examiner in Tampa performed a second autopsy on March 13. It was observed by a panel of doctors and Siebert himself.

The preliminary findings were that Anderson didn't die of the blood disorder or of natural causes. Anderson's family calls that a smoking gun and want any trial in the case outside of Bay County to ensure a fair proceeding.

"No peace until justice," said Jones. "That's the way i feel."

Siebert has hired a public relations firm to represent him.

Bush is not in favor of closing the state's boot camps.

As for the family's request to shut down all the state's boot camps, Gov. Jeb Bush is standing his ground.

"This tragic case is something that we need to look at, investigate, prosecute if appropriate," said Bush. "And we'll wait to see what the state attorney recommends in that regard, but it doesn't mean that we should get rid of a policy that has yielded a good result."

Aanderson's family is also questioning why the Bay County medical examiner got involved in the first place, considering Anderson was pronounced dead in Escambia County. They say the medical examiner there should have been responsible for performing the first autopsy.