TALLAHASSEE — A Florida State Guard recruit was arrested by sheriff’s deputies during training on Monday in the latest controversy for Gov. Ron DeSantis’ fledgling force.
Michael Lipari, 52, was arrested by Clay County sheriff’s deputies on a warrant for his arrest. The warrant out of Lee County was for uttering a forged instrument, according to his arrest report.
The charge, which involves using a forged document with intent to defraud, is a third-degree felony carrying a penalty of up to five years in prison.
Why Lipari was arrested remains unclear. His arrest warrant has not been made public.
In their report, Clay County deputies said they were called to Camp Blanding, the Florida National Guard base about an hour southwest of Jacksonville, about an outstanding warrant. When a deputy arrived, a military police officer said Lipari had a warrant for his arrest.
Lipari’s arrest is just the latest incident to draw negative attention to the State Guard, a World War II-era organization that DeSantis revived to help during in-state emergencies. Since it was brought back in 2022, it’s experienced high turnover, and some military veterans who initially signed up later quit over its militialike training.
Lipari is a U.S. Army veteran and former Florida Highway Patrol trooper who lost his job after a viral video appeared to show him in a patrol car racing a Lamborghini on Alligator Alley in 2018, NBC2 News reported at the time.
In January, he was charged with misdemeanor criminal mischief in Lee County after he was accused of slamming his hand into a woman’s vehicle during a domestic dispute, court records show. Prosecutors dropped the charge.
Lipari did not respond to requests for comment.
When asked for comment, Florida State Guard spokesperson Sierra Dean did not address Lipari or the arrest.
“(The Florida State Guard) performs vetting procedures on all recruits in accordance with Florida law, including background checks,” Dean said in a statement. “The State Guard will follow procedures in place for addressing concerns with an individual’s prior behavior and take action when necessary.”
The Florida State Guard has been holding its training this month at Camp Blanding, the second such class since 2022.
The organization has struggled to get off the ground. It has had three directors in its first 18 months and fewer than 200 volunteers, well short of the 1,500 authorized by the Legislature.
And its mission has shifted from a group of civilian volunteers helping after natural disasters to a group of what are now referred to as “soldiers.” The governor recently sent five State Guard soldiers to the Texas-Mexico border to help address the immigration crisis. Some members were also sent to a combat training school last fall.
Lipari’s arrest comes as state lawmakers are considering enhanced background checks for State Guard members. State Guard leaders are asking for permission to run prospective members through federal background checks, noting that such checks are important because the volunteers will be deployed with vulnerable populations.
To be a member of the State Guard, someone can’t have been convicted of a felony. That has allowed some members to join despite having arrests on their record.
State Guard member Clovis Hibbert, 52, was arrested twice on domestic violence charges, court records show. In 2014, he was arrested after his partner accused him of being jealous she was on Facebook, taking her phone and throwing it at her, according to the report. In 2008, he was charged with robbery and battery.
In both cases, Broward County prosecutors dropped the charges. Hibbert and his ex-wife also filed several restraining orders against each other, most recently in 2011, court records show.
The State Guard’s leaders made Hibbert one of the faces of the organization, featuring him in a video and on its website under the heading “Know Your Heroes.” Late last month, the “Know Your Heroes” page was taken offline.
The Times/Herald has not been able to reach Hibbert for comment. Dean, the State Guard spokesperson, has not responded to three requests for comment about Hibbert.
Monday’s arrest wasn’t the first time the local sheriff’s office has responded to Camp Blanding for the State Guard.
During last year’s training class, a retired disabled U.S. Marine Corps captain called the sheriff’s office to report being manhandled by the state’s National Guard trainers. Deputies did not bring charges against anyone in the case.
Miami Herald staff writer Max Greenwood and Times/Herald Tallahassee bureau reporter Ana Ceballos contributed to this report.
