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365Gay.com
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Florida
Republican Guilty
In
Washroom Sex Case
From the
Web, November 10, 2007
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Tampa, Florida -- State Rep.
Bob Allen (R) has been convicted of offering an undercover male police officer
cash for sex.
Allen, a longtime foe of LGBT rights in Florida, will be sentenced next
Thursday. He could be facing 60 days in the county jail and a $500 fine.
Republicans in the legislature said the conviction will allow them to move
forward with plans to remove Allen from office.
Following the verdict his attorney accused the prosecution of misconduct and
said he will seek a new trial.
Allen was busted in July during a sting at a men's washroom at Veteran's
Memorial Park in Titusville, Florida.
In taped statements made by Allen to police following his arrest and released by
the force Allen admits to soliciting the male officer but claims that it was the
result of being nervous by the high number of black men in the park.
"I certainly wasn't there to have sex with anybody and certainly wasn't there to
exchange money for it," Allen told officers.
Of the arresting officer Allen said in the tape, "This was a pretty stocky black
guy, and there was nothing but other black guys around in the park."
He claimed he feared he "was about to be a statistic" would have said anything
just to get away.
But on the tape Allen also admits warning the undercover cop that "undercover
cops" were in the area and the man should be careful.
"I said they're around here, you ought to know about that."
He only realized he was talking to an officer when he flashed his badge.
The arresting officer's handwritten report on the arrest also was released by
the force.
Titusville Officer Danny Kavanaugh who was on plainclothes duty says he observed
Allen entering the washroom twice. Kavanaugh said he was drying his hands
in a stall when Allen peered over the stall door.
The officer's report said that after peering over the stall a second time, Allen
pushed open the door and joined Kavanaugh inside. Allen muttered "'hi,'v"
and then said, "'this is kind of a public place, isn't it,'" the report said.
Kavanaugh wrote that he asked Allen about going somewhere else and Allen
suggested going "across the bridge, it's quieter over there."
"Well look, man, I'm trying to make some money; you think you can hook me up
with 20 bucks?" Kavanaugh wrote in the report that he had asked Allen.
The Republican lawmaker, the report said, replied, "Sure, I can do that, but
this place is too public."
According to Kavanaugh's statement, the officer said, "do you want just (oral
sex)?" and Allen replied, "I was thinking you would want one."
It was at that point Allen was arrested.
Ironically, Allen was the Police Union's 2007 Lawmaker of the Year.
In the last session of the Florida legislature he sponsored a failed bill that
would have tightened the state's prohibition on public sex. He also has
been a supporter of amending the state constitution to ban same-sex marriage and
has opposed a bill to curb bullying of gay students.
Allen's arrest came only weeks before news came out of US Sen. Larry Craig's
arrest in a gay sex sting at the Minneapolis airport. Craig has insisted
he is not gay, entered a guilty plea under duress and is attempting to get his
plea quashed.
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