The vice mayor of Ocean Ridge is calling on the officer who arrested him this weekend to resign.
Police arrested Richard Lucibella at his home Saturday night. According to a report, officers responded to calls of shots fired near Lucibella’s home. Officer R. Ermeri wrote he saw Lucibella holding a gun on his back patio as he searched the area.
The report shows off duty police Lieutenant Steven Wohlfiel was sitting in a chair next to Lucibella.
Ermeri wrote Lucibella and Wohlfiel appeared to be drunk and he noticed several bullet shells on the beachfront patio.
Lucibella tried to enter his home to get a drink, but Ermeri said he stopped the vice mayor because he believed Lucibella had more guns inside the house. At that point, Ermeri wrote that Lucibella poked him in the chest.
Ermeri wrote he and another officer controlled Lucibella and placed him under arrest, injuring Lucibella’s eye in the process.
Attorney Marc Shiner represents Lucibella. He said Ermeri broke three of Lucibella’s ribs and seriously injured the 63-year-old’s eye.
He claimed Lucibella didn’t shoot the gun in the air and criticized the way Ermeri handled the investigation.
“He didn’t have all the facts when he made the arrest, he seized evidence illegally, there’s a whole litany of things,” Shiner said.
“We’re calling for his resignation and we’re calling for the FDLE to do a full investigation on this officer and possibly charge him with aggravated battery,” Shiner added.
The Ocean Ridge police chief told NewsChannel 5 the department is conducting an internal review of the case. Shiner would rather an independent agency handle that investigation.
Dee Palusci lives a few doors down from Lucibella. She said she heard too many gunshots to count Saturday night.
“I thought I was watching a country western on TV,” she described.
Palusci said Lucibella is innocent until proven guilty, but she is surprised police have accused him of firing his gun in the presence of an off-duty police lieutenant.
“For men I hope to protect me, I expect a lot more from them than this behavior,” she said.
Other Ocean Ridge residents also expressed surprise the vice mayor put himself in a position which ended in his arrest.
“He does have a position of authority and responsibility and you would think that he would be cognizant of that fact,” said Christel Koedel.
Shiner admitted his client could have handled the situation better. But he said Lucibella has no plans to leave his post as Ocean Ridge vice mayor.
“There’s absolutely no reason he should resign or hold his head down. Mr. Lucibella is the victim here,” Shiner said.
Police charged Lucibella with resisting an officer with violence, a felony, and two misdemeanors: discharging a firearm in public and using a firearm while under the influence of alcohol.
