Orlando officer speaks at hearing on discipline for Facebook rant: I regret using 'unbelievably hateful language'

Robert Schellhorn said an “emotional buildup” from recent police shootings and hismemories of slain Orlando police Lt. Debra Clayton burst when he posted a slew of offensive comments in an August 2017 rant on Facebook.

“That all came out in this response and, regrettably, I used unbelievably hateful language,” Schellhorn said during testimony at an arbitration hearing Thursday.

Schellhorn’s explanation came on the first of an expected two days of testimony in the hearing, as an arbitrator considers whether the City of Orlando had just cause to suspend him for 80 hours as punishment for the online tirade.

In a series of comments on Facebook, Schellhorn called professional athletes “overpaid thugs” and asked “what exactly are the ‘black rights’ that these useless savages are standing up for???” while referring to athletes who kneel during the national anthem.

He also called Heather Heyer, the woman killed in Charlottesville, Va., protesting a white nationalist rally, “an asshole killed by another asshole.”

Schellhorn opted to forfeit 80 hours of time off in lieu of suspension and filed two grievances seeking exoneration.

Both were rejected by then-Chief John Mina.

Other witnesses called on by the Fraternal Order of Police on Thursday describedSchellhorn as a good officer with a bevy of accolades and sparse disciplinary history in his 14 years with OPD.

Richard Ruth, a former Orlando Police Department lieutenant, said Schellhorn’s “work performance was exemplary,” and he “would consider him one of our best officers.”

Ruth, a former supervisor in OPD’s motor division, was one of the officials who reviewed the agency’s investigation of Schellhorn in 2017 and recommended disciplinary action.

Based on the agency’s only one other cases in which someone was found to have violated OPD’s social media policy, Ruth said he recommended a 16-hour suspension, which he said was more severe than the previous case.

The FOP also called on Orlando police union chapter president Shawn Dunlap to testify. Schellhorn made his remarks about Heyer and athletes while arguing in the comments on a post that Dunlap shared, which asked, “Where are the athletes?… When will they use their voice to denounce violence aimed at Law Enforcement???????”

Ruth said Schellhorn expressed remorse for the Facebook posts, and that his the officer’s judgement was clouded at the time due to a tragedy that took place days prior, when twoKissimmee police officers were shot and killed Aug. 18, 2017.

Both Ruth and Dunlap cited that as a factor in their testimony.

“Weren’t you concerned that someone who carries a gun, has a Taser, has a weapon is allowing his passions to get the best of him?” asked Wayne Helsby, an attorney for the City of Orlando.

Ruth said no. “We’re all human and of the 700-plus officers… we’ve all had moments where our passions have overruled our brains,” he said.

Witnesses and FOP attorney Arthur “Randy” Brown argued Schellhorn’s comments did not display bias in his policing. Some local activists — and members of Orlando’s Citizens’ Police Review Board — have argued to the contrary in calling for his firing.

Schellhorn was the first officer on scene and performed CPR when Clayton, a black fellow officer, was shot and killed in January 2017, Brown said.

Schellhorn said the memory of Clayton’s death still haunts him: “I have the same nightmare every night,” he said.

In the past, Schellhorn said he worked extra duty at Pulse nightclub prior to the June 2016 massacre, and was well-liked by its owner. He also had a relationship with one special needs child in the Parramore area, and regularly did activities with him, Ruth said.

A separate internal affairs investigation was launched in October 2017 after body camera footage showed Schellhorn call a group of club goers at the LGBT nightclub Parliament House “[expletive savages]” and use pepper spray on them.

He was punished an additional 80-hour suspension in that case, but again forfeited time off. Two grievances filed for his exoneration in that incident were also rejected.

A decision in the arbitration case is expected in the spring of 2019.

Schellhorn said Thursday that his use of the word "savages" wasn't racially motivated.

"Believe me, I have now learned that is not the word to use," Schellhorn said. "But that is the kind of word I use. Instead of calling somebody a dumbass or a kunucklehead or something along those lines, 'savages' is the word I use."