Brevard Sheriff accused of pressuring third candidate to drop from race
Candidates accuse Brevard sheriff of pushing them to withdraw from races
Two candidates running for office for the first time, retired school resource officer Shawn Overdorf and Cocoa police officer Chris Hattaway, both revealed details of phone calls they had with Brevard County’s top lawman, Sheriff Wayne Ivey.
TITUSVILLE, Fla. (AP) - A third candidate for public office has come to forward to say a sheriff on Florida’s Space Coast offered help in getting a job in exchange for leaving a race and backing his favored candidate.
Kimberly Musselman, an assistant state attorney in Brevard County, told Florida Today she was asked by Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey to bow out of her race for county judge and endorse a candidate backed by him. In exchange, the sheriff said he could use his influence to help her become the district’s top prosecutor, she said.
After she refused, Ivey urged some of her biggest donors to drop their support, Musselman told Florida Today.
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"My donors dried up real quick," Musselman said.
In response to an inquiry Wednesday, Tod Goodyear, a spokesperson for the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office, said in an email, "We are not commenting at this time."
Two other candidates for public office made similar allegations to FOX 35 News back in July.