In Hillsborough state attorney race, candidates grapple over gun case

TAMPA — The case of a man accused of intentionally running into a Hillsborough County sheriff’s deputy with a car became political fodder Thursday as suspended State Attorney Andrew Warren used it in criticizing his successor and Republican opponent, Suzy Lopez.

In a tweet Thursday morning, Warren highlighted the prior arrest of William Todd Lewis Jr. on four charges that included armed possession of a controlled substance and felony marijuana possession. Court records indicate that prosecutors on June 21 elected not to pursue those felony charges and one misdemeanor, but filed the remaining misdemeanor count of open carrying of a weapon.

Lewis was already out of jail on bond while the case was pending trial.

It was about two weeks later that he was accused of hitting Deputy Kalin Hall, breaking the Hillsborough deputy’s leg and ankle.

“Thankfully the deputy who was run over survived and the perp was arrested,” Warren wrote on the social platform X. “Turns out he was arrested on felony gun crime in June, but my opponent dropped the charge. Horrible to think last week’s attack maybe was preventable.”

In an emailed statement, Lopez denied that her office dropped any charges against Lewis.

“The defendant was charged in the earlier case with a misdemeanor after our office reviewed the facts of the investigation,” the statement read. “Charges were not dropped. Either Andrew Warren is lying, or he doesn’t understand how the law works. You’d have to ask him which one.”

Responded Warren: “The sheriff’s report was very clear: he was arrested on four charges. The State Attorney’s Office dropped the three most serious ones. That is indisputable.”

Warren, a Democrat, was Hillsborough County’s elected state attorney from 2017 to 2022, when he was suspended by Gov. Ron DeSantis. The Republican governor cited statements Warren signed that voiced support for abortion and transgender rights, along with policies Warren enacted that discouraged prosecution of some low-level misdemeanor crimes.

DeSantis appointed Lopez, a longtime prosecutor, to replace Warren. They are now both running in this year’s election for the job they’ve both held.

Warren’s use of the case to make a political point is similar to tactics he used in his 2016 campaign against former Hillsborough State Attorney Mark Ober. In that race, Warren brought up allegations related to two sex offense cases Ober’s office had handled and accused the Republican incumbent of being insensitive to crime victims.

Under the law, police and sheriff’s deputies arrest and charge suspects with crimes. But formal charges are the responsibility of local elected prosecutors. It is not uncommon for prosecutors to adjust the charges law enforcement used to make an arrest — to decline to file formal charges or to increase or change the charges. Further scrutiny of individual cases can call into question whether there is sufficient proof of the allegations, and sometimes there are other legal hurdles that can complicate a prosecution.

Asked about his tweet Thursday, Warren stressed that “we don’t know all the facts yet.”

“I haven’t said (Lopez) has blood on her hands or anything like that,” he said. “What I’m saying is it’s horrible to think the attack could have been preventable.”

He said there were “legitimate questions” about why Lewis wasn’t in custody: Did prosecutors ask for him to be detained on the second-degree felony, or did he get bond because the State Attorney’s Office knew they wouldn’t pursue the felony charges?

Lopez, in a statement, accused Warren of not knowing the law.

“If Mr. Warren were familiar with state law, he would know that following the initial offense, the defendant was entitled to bond under Florida law on all charges,” the statement read. “The bond was lawfully set by the first appearance court judge. Unfortunately, this defendant made the decision to commit a new crime.”

The state has asked a court to hold Lewis without bond on his new charges.

In the prior case, Lewis was arrested June 1. On June 3, a judge set his total bail at a little more than $6,000, records show. He posted bonds and was released the same day. He could have remained out of jail while awaiting trial even if he had been formally charged with the felonies.

According to an arrest affidavit, a Hillsborough sheriff’s deputy spotted Lewis’ black BMW on Skipper Road, in Tampa’s University area, a little after 2 a.m. The deputy made a traffic stop for a window tint violation, then noticed the smell of burnt marijuana while walking up to the car, according to the affidavit.

When the deputy made Lewis get out of the car, Lewis spontaneously said that a Glock handgun and a large hunting knife inside belonged to him, the affidavit states. A search of the vehicle turned up plastic bags that the deputy said held marijuana.

Lewis, 24, was jailed on armed possession and felony drug charges, along with misdemeanor counts of possession of drug paraphernalia and open carrying of a weapon.

A court paper filed June 23 formally charged Lewis with only the open carry misdemeanor. The document was signed by Elizabeth Muller, a prosecutor in one of the State Attorney’s Office’s felony divisions. The misdemeanor case remains pending in court.

Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister, a Lopez supporter, said he inquired about the status of Lewis’ prior case after being asked Thursday about Warren’s tweet.

“I was just told it was an extremely difficult case to prove and the case had been modified,” Chronister said. “I’m glad to know that the firearm charge remained.”

Lewis was arrested again this week. Hall pulled him over a little after midnight Friday when he noticed the black BMW drifting out of traffic lanes on Bearss Avenue, sheriff’s officials said. The BMW drove off, but the deputy spotted it again minutes later in a Tampa Palms apartment complex parking lot.

When Hall got out of his patrol car, the sheriff said, Lewis drove into him, then sped off. Deputies found him Monday in Pasco County. He’s now jailed without bond on a string of new charges including aggravated battery of a law enforcement officer.

Hall, an 11-year Sheriff’s Office veteran and former linebacker for the University of South Florida, underwent surgery for his broken leg. He also suffered a fractured ankle.

He was released Saturday from Tampa General Hospital.