Frank Taaffe, the Sanford, Florida neighbor who has been one of George Zimmerman’s staunchest supporters as he fights second degree murder charges in the killing of Trayvon Martin, now has his own case to argue.
Taaffe was arrested Friday night in Lake Mary, the town neighboring Sanford, and was released on $500 bond on Saturday. He was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI). WFTV reporter Daralene Jones tweeted about the arrest, and Taaffe told her he mixed alcohol with prescription anxiety medication, which intensified the effects of alcohol. Jones said Taaffe added that he “didn’t read the label” on his medication. Taaffe told theGrio he had been hospitalized about a week prior to Friday’s arrest, and given anxiety medication after being hospitalized for chest pains. He said the hospitalization was related to the anniversary of his son’s death.
Taaffe has been involved in previous incidents, including several that found their way to court.
He faced misdemeanor battery and domestic violence charges in 1997 and 1999, respectively, in incidents involving his ex-wife, Susan. Both cases were ultimately dismissed. Taaffe told theGrio the incidents stemmed from his divorce.
More recently, Taaffe faced two separate requests for protective orders, in cases of “repeat violence.” Both were filed in Orange County court in 2008. One of the cases involved Joseph Andrew Amon, who Taaffe said was an acquaintance with whom he got into a “verbal altercation” while “out.” He would not specify where the incident took place, or the details of the encounter. In the second, Taaffe said he got into a verbal altercation “on the phone” with a co-worker, Wesley A. Marsh, who he said then filed a request for a protective order.
Taaffe called the Amon case “just a verbal confrontation,” adding that Amon “thought the thing to do was to get a protective order, and there was no reason for it.”
“I hadn’t talked to him in a while, and we had a telephone conversation,” Taaffe said of Marsh. “He made up fictitious circumstances.”
Regarding both of the 2008 incidents, Taaffe said, “all of them were dropped for the lack of any evidence to the cause. The judge deemed both to be frivolous.”
Taaffe and Zimmerman led the neighborhood watch for the Retreat at Twin Lakes townhome complex where Zimmerman shot and killed Trayvon Martin on February 26th. Zimmerman was the coordinator, and Taaffe was a “block captain.”
Questions about whether those participating in neighborhood watch volunteer efforts are typically screened for prior arrests were referred to the Seminole County Sheriff’s website. No specific information on the subject of background checks was available.
Zimmerman was arrested in 2005 on domestic battery charges involving a former girlfriend, and in 2005 on charges of battery on a law enforcement officer. He attended a pre-trial diversion program for the latter offense.
Neither Marsh nor Amon could be reached for comment.
Taaffe at center of memorial fight
Taaffe will be among the members of the Retreat at Twin Lakes homeowners association who will attend a City Hall meeting Monday night, at which the association is expected to object to the placement of a permanent memorial to Trayvon Martin outside the Retreat, where a previous, makeshift memorial was removed by the city earlier this month. Taaffe said the homeowner’s association voted unanimously to oppose a memorial, saying some homeowners believe that a memorial casts a “negative connotation” on the gated community, impacting home resale values. He said others at a recent homeowners meeting, at which the vote was taken, stated that if supporters of Trayvon Martin want to build a memorial, they should do so elsewhere, not on the Retreat property. Taaffe said he concurred with both views.
Taaffe has previously stated he objects to a memorial because Zimmerman’s trial has not taken place, and there remain questions as to “who was the victim” in the fatal confrontation between Taaffe’s friend and the Miami teen. “It’s extremely unpalatable to the majority of residents,” Taaffe told an NBC affiliate, adding that he planned to solicit signatures to oppose a new memorial. “It’s disdainful because we don’t know yet who the victim was and who the aggressor was.”
Follow Joy Reid on Twitter at @thereidreport