Deltona city commissioners vote to keep metal detectors

DELTONA, Fla. - At Monday’s city commission meeting, Deltona leaders voted to keep metal detectors. 

The vote comes after an incident at a previous meeting where a woman filed a citizen’s complaint before council members, saying a deputy made her "feel very uncomfortable and violated" while crossing through the metal detectors. 

FOX 35 reported on the incident back then when the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office released surveillance video of the incident. 

The deputy patted the woman down on her leg because of a brace she was wearing due to her broken leg. 

"The deputy that was out there put his hands on me, put his hands between my legs and I have a history of trauma," Tammy Stuck said to commissioners. 

Commissioners listened to the woman then and immediately discussed possible policy changes.

"I want to make sure this never ever happens again and let’s make sure we have some clear policies in place," said one commissioner.

Sheriff Chitwood said the surveillance video shows his deputy did nothing wrong. 

He asked for an apology then and Monday he showed up to the city commission along with dozens of deputies who filled the chambers. 

"There’s a thing called trust but verify, trust but verify. They accused a deputy of groping her, they called the deputy a pervert, they called him all kinds of names and you stood up here and took it," he said. 

Commissioners apologized and told the sheriff they didn’t think his deputy did anything wrong. 

"I would like to tell that deputy that and each one of the deputies here in no uncertain terms, do I think that deputy did anything wrong and he has my support because he did nothing wrong," said Commissioner Dana McCool. 

"I showed some empathy for her and that is it. I never convicted deputy Thomas. I never said prayers for her," said Commissioner Julio David Sosa. 

"And if my comments in any way made your deputy feel that I was accusing him, then I do apologize," said Anita Bradford.