Tampabay.com
NOVEMBER 13, 2007

McCollum: More can be done in teen death

Attorney General Bill McCollum weighed in on the Martin Lee Anderson boot camp death, saying "there is more that can be done" to give the family "the justice they deserve."

At the same time, however, McCollum closed the books.

"While we have determined there are no further civil or criminal actions this Office can bring under its authority, I pledge to keep the resources of the Attorney General’s Office at the parents’ disposal," he said in a statement. "I believe there is more that can be done to give Martin Lee Anderson’s family and loved ones the justice they deserve. I am committed to assisting the family identify new avenues of justice and calling upon the appropriate licensing authorities to either initiate or continue any investigations that will hold the parties at fault, particularly the guards and the nurse, responsible for their actions."

Anderson family lawyer Ben Crump said: "There are still many options to explore and with the Attorney General’s support, we intend to pursue every possible consequence for the individuals who were involved in this situation, including the guards, the nurse and the medical examiner."

Crump and Anderson's parents, Gina Jones and Robert Anderson, were flying to Washington on Tuesday for meetings with U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek, D-Florida, and Rep. John Conyers, D-Michigan. On Friday, they will participate in a protest at the Justice Department over juvenile justice issues. The parents will meet with officials at the agency, which is conducting a civil rights investigation into the boot camp death.

Crump said he will petition the Florida Criminal Justice Standards and Training Committee to revoke the license of the guards who were charged but acquitted in the death. He will also seek similar action against the nurse who stood by while guards thrashed the 14-year-old at the Panama City boot camp, and work against the re-appointment of the medical examiner who ruled Anderson died of a blood disorder, not a beating.

"You've got to keep believing," Crump said. "We haven't given up on the system yet."

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