Pasco County Sheriff's Office Refused To Release Booking Photo Of Former Tampa Cop Charged With Murder

Curtis Judson Reeves Jr., Chad Oulson and Nicole Oulson

A retired Tampa police captain charged with second-degree murder had his privilege extended by the Pasco County Sheriff's Office by not making his booking photo public and available like other inmates that are booked for a crime.

By H. Nelson Goodson

January 14, 2014

Land O'Lakes, Florida - The Pasco County Sheriff's Office extended a special privilege to retired Tampa Police Captain Curtis Judson Reeves Jr., 71, by not making his booking photo public and available compared to other inmates charged with a crime, especially felony murder. Reeves has been charged with Monday's second-degree murder of Chad Oulson, 43, of Land O'Lakes at the Cobb Theater's Grove 16; CineBistro in Wesley Chapel, Florida.  

Florida law exempts photos of law enforcement officers to be made public, but it doesn't exempt officers or former officers from getting their booking photos released after being charged for a crime. The Pasco County Sheriff's Office is doing a disservice to the community it serves by not posting or making Reeves booking photo available. 

Reeves remains in jail after a judge refused to grant bail. He is accused of shooting Oulson in the chest after an verbal altercation broke out between them about Oulson texting his 3-year-old daughter during movie previews. 

Nicole, 33, Oulson's wife was also shot in the hand after she attempted to stop a bullet from fatally striking her husband. Oulson was taken to a local hospital where he later died.

There were about 25 people at the theater and witnesses told investigators that they didn't see Oulson strike or threatened Reeves. Some popcorn was thrown between them, but Reeves's attorney tried to used the stand your ground law to get the case dismissed. His attorney argued that Oulson struck and threw an unknown object at Reeves and that his client was just protecting himself. But deputies found no objects at the scene and witnesses told investigators that they didn't see Oulson throwing anything or punch Reeves.