Deputy faces reprimand for Skittles, iced tea at work

Stacey Barchenger | Florida Today

BREVARD, Fla. -- A Brevard County jail deputy will be reprimanded for bringing Skittles and an Arizona Iced Tea to work Saturday, items associated with the then-ongoing George Zimmerman trial and items that some fellow employees found offensive, sheriff's officials said.

Sheriff Wayne Ivey called Chris Wood's actions "insensitive and inappropriate," and said Wood explained he was trying to convey a "need for professionalism amongst co-workers during the emotional and lengthy trial.

"Deputy Wood obviously underestimated the depth and varying personal opinions of his coworkers and now realizes that his message and delivery was poorly constructed and inappropriate."

The incident occurred Saturday morning. Earlier the same day, a jury returned a not guilty verdict on a charge of murder against Zimmerman, the man who shot and killed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in Sanford last year. Martin was carrying Skittles and a drink at the time of his death. Those items quickly became symbolic of the case as it drew scrutiny as to whether Zimmerman, who is Hispanic, had racially profiled Martin, who was black.

Ivey said there was no indication Wood's actions or statements were racially motivated. The sheriff said Wood put the items on display and meant to spread a message about the need to separate personal and professional opinions, but delivered the message poorly in a "split second."

The sheriff said Wood accepted full responsibility for his actions and said it was not Wood's intention to offend anyone. The deputy apologized for the "unclear and potentially divisive message," Ivey said in a statement, and also apologized to his co-workers Wednesday morning.

Wood has been with the agency about 10 years and is part of the canine team. He could not be reached for comment.

Ivey, who learned of the incident Sunday night, said an internal affairs investigation was launched after an anonymous caller reported the incident. He said he reached out to community leaders after learning what happened to assure them he was handling the situation immediately.

"As part of the overall reprimand, I am requiring Deputy Wood to attend training in communications (and) interpersonal and sensitivity skills," the sheriff said.