DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- The Daytona Beach Police Department under the supervision of Chief Mike Chitwood made a series of prostitution-related arrests this week, but Headline Surfer can't provide the public with its own news report because the 24/7 Internet newspaper is being excluded from press releases and arrest/incident reports going out to other media outlets.
In the interest of getting the news out to the public, Headline Surfer is providing a link to the Daytona Beach News-Journal, which was provided information by the police department. Because the News-Journal charges for online services, some may not be able to read its story, headlined, "Daytona prostitution stings round up 16 people." Here is the link: http://www.news-journalonline.com/article/20121116/NEWS/121119778/1040?Title=Daytona-prostitution-stings-round-up-16-people.
Headline Surfer last received a report from the DBPD on Oct. 25, a copy of the incident report involving the gunshot suicide of former professional wrestler Mike Graham who killed himself on the opening night of Biketoberfest in a private residence here.
Headline Surfer wrote an investigative story on Chitwood's promotion of Jim Newcomb to captain from lieutenant, despite his alleged mistreatment of women cops under his command going back a decade. In the story, published May 14, Chitwood did not address Newcomb's past alleged bad behavior, saying only such behavior would not be tolerated moving forward.
"He'll be (expletive) gone!" Chitwood said of Newcomb to Headline Surfer. "I feel bad about what happened with officer (Kelly) Fishpaugh, but that was before my time and Newcomb has worked really hard to set a good example. I've got enough problems here with everything else that is going on. It's all this infighting. It's like (expletive) Romper Room in there."
Chitwood held back no punches in his use of the F word and other raw language in the on-the-record interview last spring. Last week, the Florida Press Club awarded Headline Surfer two awards in the categories of General News Writing and Public Safety Reporting for its investigative story on Newcomb. Headline Surfer also received two other awards for Blog Writing and Best Online presence with use of social media.
Headline Surfer obtained public documents from an internal affairs investigation of Newcomb's behavior towards Kelly Fishpaugh showing he was allowed to verbally torment her for more than a year, despite her pleas that he stop referring to her being pregnant when she was not. That wasn't the extent of the harassment either. Fishpaugh told Internal Affairs investigators that Newcomb's comments to her became sexual, especially in one-on-one situations where he advised her to rethink who she was sleeping with and that he also tried to get her to persuade her own sister to have an intimate relationship with him, even though he is married and has two children.
Newcomb refused to comment for the investigative story, which Headline Surfer plans to continue looking into based on complaints by other female officers, including a lesbian cop, who was fired and then brought back two years later without explanation from Chitwood.
Headline Surfer has had a rocky relationship with Newcomb since. When Headline Surfer contacted him on his cell phone after spotting him on the grounds of the Daytona Beach Bandshell during the Biketoberfest visit by Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan, for a comment on the event, he said he was too busy, while hanging out with a couple of photographers.
At Wednesday's swearing-in ceremony for newly-elected Mayor Derrick Henry, Headline Surfer attempted to get an interview with outgoing Mayor Glenn Ritchey, but Chitwood quickly escorted him out a side door, knowing the 24/7 Internet newspaper wanted to get a quick comment from him on camera.
Headline Surfer could not reach Chitwood for comment tonight. Messages were left for him and his public information officer, Jimmy Flynt.
Headline Surfer was able to reach Mayor Henry, who said he would inquire of the situation with Chitwood's boss, City Manager Jim Chisholm as soon as possible next week regarding the 24/7 Internet newspaper's complaint about not receiving police reports and press releases given to other media.