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Warden Caught in Sex Sting
The Superintendent of Florida's Polk Correctional Institution resigned on the night of April 11, 1996, just hours after he was charged with propositioning an undercover sheriff's deputy at a local park.
Evon Alexis Colchiski, 39, was one of the twenty men arrested during a Polk County Sheriff's Office sting operation at the park. He was charged with committing a lewd act and offering to commit lewdness. Both charges are misdemeanors. He was booked into the Polk County Jail and released.
"Oh God," said Kerry Flack, public information official for the Florida DOC, when she was informed of the charges against warden Colchiski. Flack then called Colchiski at home, whereupon he resigned. "He said it wasn't what it appeared to be," said Flack, "but rather than embarrass the department he would resign."
Colchiski was arrested at 1:25 p.m. after he approached a male undercover deputy in the park, fondled himself and offered to perform oral sex on him, a sheriff's department spokesperson said. He later pleaded no contest to the charges and received six months probation and a $200 fine.
Meanwhile, back at the prison, we have this rather amusing on-the-scene report:
Friday morning started out like any other day, with the usual morning count routine. Then we all gravitated toward the TV room to catch the morning news. At about 6:45 a.m. an eerie hush interrupted the normal din. There on the screen stood a familiar figure in his polyester blue blazer, mugging for the TV camera with a large expanse of razor ribbon in the background. It was none other than our infamous superintendent, the despotic Evon "The Terrible" Colchiski.
Naturally, with the legislature in session, everyone in the room was anticipating his comments on some new law requiring us to wear ball-and-chains or be whipped daily, but many of us quickly realized that the scene was merely some old file footage. Then the talking head in the newsroom revealed the incredible: Evon The Terrible was one of twenty men arrested the previous day on sex charges at a local park well known for such goings on.
As the roar rapidly began to build, we heard the capper--the warden resigned. The place erupted. I've never seen such joy in prison. It was as though the governor had just pardoned every one of us. That's how badly that son of a bitch was hated around here.
After breakfast we all hit the compound. It was a carnival-like atmosphere. It was as though someone had tossed a bucket on the wicked witch of the west. Polk City was transformed into Oz.
The cops on the midnight shift were dazed and confused. They stood numb while we celebrated. That soon changed, though, as the day shift took up their posts at 8:00 a.m. We were given verbal orders not to discuss the incident. There was an unspoken threat of immediate confinement for "disobeying a verbal order," but it was also obvious that many of the screws were as delighted as we were, which gives you an idea of how despised this vermin was.
As soon as the library opened, there was a long line of guys waiting to get their mitts on the local paper. The librarian had removed the local section from all of the papers, though. In an Orwellian move, the authorities thought they would try to prevent us from having access to the news. Of course, it wasn't long before the compound was flooded with photocopies of the article. Some of the free people who work in industries allowed their newspaper to be copied without limit. They hated the warden as much as the rest of us.
Typical of this regime, Evon The Terrible's underlings, led by Col. "War Daddy" Coleman, were vainly attempting to suppress the news of their fallen leader. Anyone caught with a copy of the article was cuffed and stuffed, but they keep the hole pretty full at this joint, and even those morons soon realized the futility of their repressive scheme. Their fascist tactics were useless. The reich had collapsed.
The importance of this event cannot be over emphasized. Evon the Terrible was the golden boy of the DOC. The rising star. The trouble shooter. He was sent to Polk to clean up after a series of escapes in 1994.
He moved in with brutal efficiency. His first official act as warden was to walk into the library and order the removal of the two typewriters from prisoners' use-- a clear indication of his repressive philosophy.
Ironically, his first official memo was to threaten all "gunslingers" (prisoners who have a hard time keeping their pants zipped) with immediate confinement, and it was this memo that was to characterize his regime. Prisoners were immediately sent to the hole for the most trivial transgressions, or for nothing at all. No hearing. No nothing. Straight to jail.
When wine was discovered in the auto shop, 35 guys got locked up. When somebody tossed a lock-a-cop, 16 guys went to the slammer. Get caught with a crossword puzzle or a book at your job site, go to jail. Ironically, the warden gets busted in the park at 1:25 in the afternoon on a Thursday, a work day. What a hypocrite! But in the end, it was poetic justice.
Sources: Lakeland Ledger 04/12/96, Anonymous Florida Correspondent
Evon Alexis Colchiski, 39, was one of the twenty men arrested during a Polk County Sheriff's Office sting operation at the park. He was charged with committing a lewd act and offering to commit lewdness. Both charges are misdemeanors. He was booked into the Polk County Jail and released.
"Oh God," said Kerry Flack, public information official for the Florida DOC, when she was informed of the charges against warden Colchiski. Flack then called Colchiski at home, whereupon he resigned. "He said it wasn't what it appeared to be," said Flack, "but rather than embarrass the department he would resign."
Colchiski was arrested at 1:25 p.m. after he approached a male undercover deputy in the park, fondled himself and offered to perform oral sex on him, a sheriff's department spokesperson said. He later pleaded no contest to the charges and received six months probation and a $200 fine.
Meanwhile, back at the prison, we have this rather amusing on-the-scene report:
Friday morning started out like any other day, with the usual morning count routine. Then we all gravitated toward the TV room to catch the morning news. At about 6:45 a.m. an eerie hush interrupted the normal din. There on the screen stood a familiar figure in his polyester blue blazer, mugging for the TV camera with a large expanse of razor ribbon in the background. It was none other than our infamous superintendent, the despotic Evon "The Terrible" Colchiski.
Naturally, with the legislature in session, everyone in the room was anticipating his comments on some new law requiring us to wear ball-and-chains or be whipped daily, but many of us quickly realized that the scene was merely some old file footage. Then the talking head in the newsroom revealed the incredible: Evon The Terrible was one of twenty men arrested the previous day on sex charges at a local park well known for such goings on.
As the roar rapidly began to build, we heard the capper--the warden resigned. The place erupted. I've never seen such joy in prison. It was as though the governor had just pardoned every one of us. That's how badly that son of a bitch was hated around here.
After breakfast we all hit the compound. It was a carnival-like atmosphere. It was as though someone had tossed a bucket on the wicked witch of the west. Polk City was transformed into Oz.
The cops on the midnight shift were dazed and confused. They stood numb while we celebrated. That soon changed, though, as the day shift took up their posts at 8:00 a.m. We were given verbal orders not to discuss the incident. There was an unspoken threat of immediate confinement for "disobeying a verbal order," but it was also obvious that many of the screws were as delighted as we were, which gives you an idea of how despised this vermin was.
As soon as the library opened, there was a long line of guys waiting to get their mitts on the local paper. The librarian had removed the local section from all of the papers, though. In an Orwellian move, the authorities thought they would try to prevent us from having access to the news. Of course, it wasn't long before the compound was flooded with photocopies of the article. Some of the free people who work in industries allowed their newspaper to be copied without limit. They hated the warden as much as the rest of us.
Typical of this regime, Evon The Terrible's underlings, led by Col. "War Daddy" Coleman, were vainly attempting to suppress the news of their fallen leader. Anyone caught with a copy of the article was cuffed and stuffed, but they keep the hole pretty full at this joint, and even those morons soon realized the futility of their repressive scheme. Their fascist tactics were useless. The reich had collapsed.
The importance of this event cannot be over emphasized. Evon the Terrible was the golden boy of the DOC. The rising star. The trouble shooter. He was sent to Polk to clean up after a series of escapes in 1994.
He moved in with brutal efficiency. His first official act as warden was to walk into the library and order the removal of the two typewriters from prisoners' use-- a clear indication of his repressive philosophy.
Ironically, his first official memo was to threaten all "gunslingers" (prisoners who have a hard time keeping their pants zipped) with immediate confinement, and it was this memo that was to characterize his regime. Prisoners were immediately sent to the hole for the most trivial transgressions, or for nothing at all. No hearing. No nothing. Straight to jail.
When wine was discovered in the auto shop, 35 guys got locked up. When somebody tossed a lock-a-cop, 16 guys went to the slammer. Get caught with a crossword puzzle or a book at your job site, go to jail. Ironically, the warden gets busted in the park at 1:25 in the afternoon on a Thursday, a work day. What a hypocrite! But in the end, it was poetic justice.
Sources: Lakeland Ledger 04/12/96, Anonymous Florida Correspondent
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