A gay man who says he was "beaten unconscious" by Fort Lauderdale police has a history of mental illness, unstable behavior, and violence. Two former friends of Ronald Clouse, who contacted us after he filed an Internal Affairs complaint against Fort Lauderdale police officer T.M. O'Neil, say that they had to file restraining orders against Clouse after he turned self-destructive and violent.
Both friends asked that we not publish their names, as they still fear retaliation, they say. But the two confirmed independently that Clouse has long suffered episodes of depression, suicidal behavior, and delusional thinking. One, a former roommate, said that she was forced to file a restraining order against Clouse in 2007 when they lived together in Baltimore.
Clouse's emails to the Juice would seem to raise questions about his credibility.
We're still waiting, after several requests, to receive the close-out memos on his internal affairs complaints (Sgt. Frank Sousa has said they should be available any day now.)
In the meantime, Clouse claims that his "state of the art" Droid phone has been mysteriously hacked, jeopardizing $20 million-worth of client information. But worse is the issue of his "silky terrier" Lola's safety:
I AM AFRAID I MAY HAVE TO GIVE AWAY LOLA MY SILKY TERRIOR TO SECURE HERE SAFTY IF I LOOSE MY APT. WHAT WE DISCUSSED HAS COST ME EASILY OVER $150,000. IN DAMAGES. THE ONLY THING THAT TRUELY MATTERED. WAS MY PETS AN ONE I HAVWNT SEEN SINCE I WAS BEETEN AND KNOW I. MAY LOOSE MY HOME AND ONLY WANT THE BEST FOR LOLA
Clouse has been charged with "Fleeing or Attempting to Elude a Law Enforcement Officer," (a third-degree felony) and with a secondary count of driving with a suspended license (Clouse had failed to pay traffic tickets). He is represented by Fort Lauderdale criminal attorney, Eric Schwartzreich, who told the Juice he believes Clouse's brutality allegations are credible.
