Tampa Bay Times By Tony Marrero 9/27/2023
Patrick Douglas Scruggs, who worked for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Tampa for about a decade, is accused of stabbing another motorist after a crash.
The Tampa man accused of stabbing another motorist after a crash on the Howard Frankland Bridge on Tuesday is a former assistant U.S. attorney who spent about a decade at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Tampa.
Patrick Douglas Scruggs, 38, worked for the U.S. Attorney’s Office from 2013 until 2023, according to his LinkedIn page. In May, he joined Barnes and Thornburg, an Atlanta-based private law firm, as an “of counsel” attorney, the page says. The page describes Scruggs as “a seasoned litigator and investigator with experience in various practice areas of criminal law....”
Now Scruggs faces his own legal trouble stemming from a bizarre chain of events that unfolded on the Howard Frankland as rush hour was winding down on Tuesday.
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Scruggs, who got his law degree from Boston College Law School, joined the Narcotics Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Tampa in 2013, according to a news release issued by that office at the time. His previous practice at that point included working in the Trial Division and the Prescription Drug Investigation Unit of the New York County District Attorney’s Office in New York City, the release said.
Scruggs also appeared on behalf of the federal government during hearings for Florida residents accused of taking part in the riots at the U.S. Capitol by supporters of outgoing President Donald Trump on Jan. 6, 2021.
Days later, Scruggs appeared on behalf of the U.S. Attorney’s Office during the bond hearing of Adam Johnson, the Parrish man who became one of the most prominent symbols of the riots that engulfed the U.S. Capitol when he was photographed carrying a lectern from the House of Representatives. Scruggs asked U.S. Magistrate Judge Christopher Tuite to order certain restrictions while Johnson was on release, including drug testing, the surrender of his passport and a nightly curfew.
“This is a serious case,” Scruggs told the judge. “Everyone involved in the storming of the Capitol last week needs to be held accountable for their actions, including Mr. Johnson.”
Another judge in 2022 sentenced Johnson to 75 days in jail.
More:
https://www.tampabay.com/news/crime/2023/09/27/howard-frankland-stabbing-suspect-is-former-assistant-us-attorney/
