TAMPA, Fla. — Initially, Michelle Lahera felt the support.
One year ago, her husband, Citrus County Deputy Andy Lahera, suffered a traumatic brain injury. The school resource officer was directing traffic outside the Lecanto High School graduation when he got hit by a car.
Deputy Lahera’s injuries were so severe, he still requires constant care at a Florida medical facility. Though he has improved recently – regaining some movement in portions of his body – recovery has been slow.
“It’s something I never thought I would ever have to endure,” said Michelle. “Every day, I’m reminded of what happened that night.”
In the weeks after the accident, Michelle said her family felt bathed in support from the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office and the community.
Then she believes something changed. A rift formed between Michelle and Citrus County Sheriff Mike Prendergast. The Lahera family believes the sheriff has abandoned them.
“I don’t know (what went wrong). I wish I knew,” Michelle said. “I wish I could go back and we could figure it out.”
Prendergast contends the fracturing of the relationship is a misunderstanding of intent.
“We have shown vast amounts of compassion, concern and care for not only Deputy Lahera – our beloved colleague – but for Mrs. Lahera and family,” Sheriff Prendergast said.
Lahera is currently being paid two-thirds of his salary through a workers’ compensation claim. The Florida Sheriff’s Risk Management Fund is paying that money. Lahera is using accrued vacation and sick leave to supplement that pay. All of his medical bills related to the accident are covered as well.
However, the sheriff sent Michelle a letter, dated August 14, 2023, saying they would re-evaluate Andy’s employment on August 14, 2024.
If the sheriff ends Andy’s employment on that date, Michelle worries his full health insurance policy and life insurance policy would end. Though his medical bills from the accident would be paid, she fears any other unrelated medical issues would not be covered.
“How do I figure this out so my husband has the best care moving forward? That’s all I care about. I don’t care about anything else,” Michelle said.
She says those fears have gone unaddressed, however, because she has not spoken to the sheriff in months. After trading voicemails in the early part of this year, communication has broken down.
“I don’t know how we got here,” Michelle said.
Prendergast has a different view of the situation. He points to the same letter Michelle received in August, 2023. It states that the Sheriff was extending Andy’s employment longer than the policy dictated for employees on workers’ compensation leave.
He argues he gave Michelle a full year to consider the best options and make the decisions about Andy’s care, including Florida Retirement System Disability or Social Security Disability.
“A year later, we still have nothing one way or the other about the choices she wants to take,” the sheriff said, adding that he wants to help Andy and continues to do so, but needs Michelle to make decisions about the future.
As for the communication breakdown, he says he’s willing to meet with Michelle to try to find a constructive solution moving forward. She is willing to do it too, as long as there is a third-party present. But it appears both want the other to pick up the phone and arrange it.
The Sheriff ended a phone interview with Spectrum Bay News 9 by quoting the Warrior Ethos, a subset of the Soldier’s Creed in the U.S. Army.
“I will never leave a fallen comrade,” the sheriff said. “And that was my pledge to Andy at his bedside on multiple occasions when he was hovering near death in a trauma center in the Tampa Bay area.”
When Spectrum Bay News 9 told the sheriff that some people, including Andy’s family, believe he had abandoned Andy, he responded, “They don’t understand it because they’re not cognizant of what the true facts are.”