Shocking Court Testimony Details Violent Crime Of Broward GOP Officer
BY BUDDY NEVINS
The Broward GOP has collapsed in turmoil over the past crimes of the party’s elected treasurer, Rupert Tarsey.
After reading this testimony, it is unbelievable some in the local party continue to defend him.
Also unbelievable: Tarsey, who changed his name from Rupert Ditsworth and moved to Florida from California after the crime, received probation at this sentencing hearing held on May, 4, 2010 in Los Angeles. Disworth was represented by three attorneys at the hearing.
He pleaded no contest to felony assault with a deadly weapon — a hammer. He was given six years probation with requirements that he continue to received mental health treatment. When his probation was finished, the offense he pleaded to was lowered to a misdemeanor.
Make no mistake, however. Ditsworth, aka Tarsey, pleaded to felony assault with a hammer.
Two criminal defense attorneys practicing in Broward doubted that such a sentence or probation would ever by accepted here.
The agreement was arranged after Ditsworth’s family made “restitution,” i.e., paid money, to the family of the victim — Elizabeth Barcay.
The judge also took into account that Ms. Barcay had largely recovered, that Ditsworth expressed “complete remorse” and that he was leaving California for Florida.
Like the Broward Democratic Party, the local GOP organization has little real power and influence.
The Broward GOP also is apparently full of hypocrites who preach about being tough on crime, but then cozy up to someone who could do this:
(The copy of the testimony sent to Browardbeat.com was not crystal clear, to say the least. It will read better on a desk top or lap top computer. Despite that drawback, I thought it would interest anyone interested enough to muddle through it. Or you may want to explore the entire transcript in the PDF here, courtesy of the RedBroward website: Tarsey Felony Sentencing Hearing )
November 15th, 2017 at 11:51 am
I cannot believe the State agreed to this plea deal and that the Court accepted the State’s recommendation. Why the State entered into this absurd plea deal is beyond me. Never would happen on my watch, ever! He should have been charged with attempted murder, and he should be doing a long prison sentence. The family should have insisted on justice, which could only be served by getting this defendant off the street before he kills someone.
November 15th, 2017 at 1:03 pm
“After reading this testimony, it is unbelievable some in the local party continue to defend him.”
The GOP bar is so low a professional limbo performer could not pass under it.
November 15th, 2017 at 1:35 pm
This is just incomprehensible. How could Mr. “Tarsey” have avoided prison time for this ? I’m assuming that the Court did not have to accept the plea agreement. I am assuming that there was some sort of defense of lack of capacity ? Seems like he was deemed competent to stand trial, but then neither he nor his mother accepted responsibility or expressed remorse. Very sad for the young lady who had to endure this assault and had her life ruined. I truly feel for the victim and her family. Just awful. This individual does not belong in free society. This is really cringe worthy stuff. Mr. “Tarsey” do you ever think about this poor girl and what you did ? Does your mom ?
November 15th, 2017 at 2:33 pm
This is kind of an odd article isn’t it? The kid has a misdemeanor with probation. I know what you posted is unclear, but is it appears to be a statement, not a formal under oath testimony. You are kind of putting it in a false light. This was litigated 10 years ago and resulted in a misdemeanor.
Next our party hasn’t collapsed because of his misdemeanor from 10 years ago. It has collapsed because of our chairman Robert Sutton. Sutton has raised practically no money and has done nothing that he is supposed to. He cancelled 7 out of the last 8 meetings. He also has appointed Benjamin Bennett, a convicted felon with relation to crimes on children, as our sergeant-at-arms. Benjamin Bennett was also seperately recently arrested for child molestation. We also have another Sutton appointee, Peter Palmer, who currently faces 25 felony counts. We have tried to have 3 removal votes on our chairman, we even had a formal petition signed by over 30% of our members to host a special meeting for his removal. There is no removal vote on Tarsey. If Mr. Tarsey disappeared tomorrow in a blackhole, there would be no less turmoil. Sutton will face a removal vote regardless of Tarsey.
FROM BUDDY:
I have added some more background explanation to the story.
November 15th, 2017 at 2:50 pm
Buddy, Bob Sutton circulated this story to Red Broward, Anthony Man at SS, and the rest of his media hound-dogs months ago. So why are you bring it back now? Because you have the transcript? This is old news.
The real story in Broward is how establishment officials in both parties work hard to squash grassroots efforts. Sutton for months has gone after anyone questioning his death grip on BREC. Same goes for Cynthia Busch, she is more open about her smearing.
Grassroot DEMS and REPS are always the victims of smear campaigns and you are simply feeding into that frenzy.
November 15th, 2017 at 3:55 pm
Incredible—this guy may have a lock on being the next Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate.
November 15th, 2017 at 5:39 pm
#2Whats his mother got anything to do with this.
November 15th, 2017 at 5:40 pm
According to Wikipedia: “Psychopathy, sometimes considered synonymous with sociopathy, is traditionally defined as a personality disorder characterized by persistent antisocial behavior, impaired empathy and remorse, and bold, disinhibited, egotistical traits. Different conceptions of psychopathy have been used throughout history. These conceptions are only partly overlapping and may sometimes be contradictory.” Does it apply here?
November 15th, 2017 at 7:47 pm
He’s a creep.
November 15th, 2017 at 11:52 pm
When did this crime happen?
November 16th, 2017 at 11:44 am
The fact that there are people making excuses for this behavior is disturbing. It is synonymous with all the excuses being made for Moore. I agree with Sheila- a plea offer like this is questionable. I am not aware of the reasoning behind it or what the prosecutors justification for it is, but it merits review. The fact that it was a misdemeanor, or that this statement is not under oath is not relevant. Is the person trying to question the truthfulness of it? We need to stop making excuses for inexcusable behavior. I am certain both parties have problems independent of this issue, but when people defend this behavior it makes normal people question their morals. He beat a girl with a hammer. End of story.
FROM BUDDY:
He pleaded to a felony. After he served six years probation, it was lowered to a misdemeanor on his record.
And yes, people commenting here are making excuses for this creep. No wonder most people shy away from politics!
November 16th, 2017 at 4:27 pm
This is proof that the Broward GOP has not been relevant for the past six or seven years. It all started with the worst element of the local party: Richard Lee DiNapoli. He has been the cancer that has matastasized to put the Republican Party in a terminal state. Let’s just hope he moves away again and doesn’t cause any harm to the very few good candidates that we have, like Shari McCartney and Chip Lamarca. As for the BREC, put a fork in them.
November 16th, 2017 at 6:07 pm
Get the f**k out of my party. Just remember you’re “elected” and can easily be taken out with just a handful of votes.
November 17th, 2017 at 8:07 am
Buddy, you are about two months late on this story, which regurgitates old info, making this seem like a hit piece. Allegations are just that…Allegations. This case was heard in a court of law and decided a long time ago. If the allegations were indeed true, then Tarsey wouldn’t have gotten probation.
It happened when Tarsey was 17. Tarsey emailed everyone in BREC about it. All this attention for the Secretary of the Broward GOP ? It’s a volunteer position that is the equivalent (or lesser) of being the Secretary of a condo board. This story is being used as cover for Bob Sutton’s failures as chairman when there is a groundswell of support for his removal and a petition was circulated and signed to remove him as chair.
FROM BUDDY:
To call these allegations are ridiculous.
The victim was in his car and beaten. Tarsey pleaded to felony assault. He had years of mental health treatment. Allegations?!?! Pleeeze.
November 17th, 2017 at 5:07 pm
These are not allegations. They are facts which even Tarsey/Ditworth admitted in his plea before the court.
Regardless of who circulated these facts, they ARE facts.
The trouble with allowing this pustule to remain an officer in any GOP institution is that he corrupts with his mendacity and frightens with his penchant for violence. When is somebody going to trigger his anger at a BREC meeting and find himself beaten to a bloody pulp in the parking lot?
He was under his own Mother’s thumb legally for years after this crime. He couldn’t move, get married or certainly dispose of his own property without his Mother’s approval. The “thumb” came off on condition that he put his property in a trust in a reputable place, like Northern Trust Bank.
This process took years.
Despite all this, Tarsey/Ditworth still refuses to acknowledge that he did anything wrong. Failure to accept responsibility is very dangerous.
November 19th, 2017 at 10:52 am
The real story is the horrible job Sutton is doing. Everyone wants him removed. He doesn’t even have the guts to call a meeting for fear of the members removing him. Haven’t had a meeting since August. He constantly deflects in talking to people about Tarsey which has no bearing on his disgraceful and divisive and chauvinist performance as chairman. Remember Sutton is the guy who paraded girls in bikinis around at a BREC meeting and said that “Hillary would go down like Monica Lewinsky.” Rupert got in a fight when he was 17. Sutton has failed today and defends creeps like Bennett. This is all part of a mass distraction campaign by Sutton.
November 20th, 2017 at 7:12 am
# 16 A “FIGHT”? Can you read?? Or are you Tarsey/Ditsworth minimizing the crime and STILL failing to take responsibility?
November 20th, 2017 at 7:36 am
“Rupert got in a fight at 17”
If that is what you call nearly beating an unarmed woman to death with a hammer….you and your party have major problems.
November 22nd, 2017 at 9:47 am
“A fight”? Really? Oh well…kids will be kids. The little minx…he crushed the girl’s scull and leg bones with a claw hammer, dragged her out of his fancy car by the hair, and left her lying in the middle of the road until she crawled to safety. All because she wouldn’t go to prom with him. Wasn’t that on a episode of Little Rascals? Get real…for whatever reason, this guy is unpredictable and dangerous.