Florida GOP Police Blotter #8: Small-town mayor likes boys and girls (allegedly)

Just as Blowin' Bob Allen's trial gets underway in Brevard County, a new scandal emerges in neighboring Lake County, as Jeff Krull (right), the mayor of tiny Mascotte, Fla., was arrested the night before the election (when he was seeking re-election) and charged with six counts of lewd and lascivious molestation and one count of showing obscene material to a minor. Krull was crushed in the next day's election by his opponent.

The Orlando Sentinel has more:

"I fully expect to be exonerated of the false accusations," Krull said. "They are contrived allegations against the mayor to break on the day before elections so that he would be discredited in the eyes of the people." He called his arrest "tragic to my chances" after his defeat was sealed. He received 81 votes to his opponent's 175.

The alleged victims are a 14-year-old girl, a 15-year-old girl and a 14-year-old boy, according to a probable-cause affidavit.

The 15-year-old girl told police Krull touched her breasts both over and under her clothing with his hands. She said the acts happened five times in the past year, according to the affidavit. In an interview with the Orlando Sentinel, she said she used Krull's computer to look at pictures of horses, but he began to touch her.

The 14-year-old girl told police that Krull rubbed her breast and stomach and attempted to put his hand up her shirt one time about three months ago. The 14-year-old boy said Krull showed him gay-pornography Web sites at Krull's residence during the past two weeks.

The boy told the Sentinel that Krull appeared to be nice at first. Then Krull showed him pornography and a sex toy, the boy said. The boy also said the mayor called him on the phone and asked, "Is your girlfriend giving you [oral sex] right now," the boy said.

"It's the truth," the boy said. "I'm not gonna lie."

While Mascotte, like so many small towns in Florida and elsewhere, appears to have nonpartisan elections, Krull does appear to be a Republican, as evidenced by his endorsement of Republican state House candidate Will Pruitt -- not to mention his (alleged) fondness for skeevy sexual behavior.

Plenty of defenders have come forward in support of Krull:

"I know several children this could have come from, but I think I've pinned it down to who and why they did it," Krull said Tuesday after his release from the hospital. "I have no doubt that once challenged their stories will change considerably. However, (they) may have already done me irreparable harm."

[Krull's girlfriend Barbara] Tillman said Krull, who has three grown children and six grandchildren, has a grandfatherly relationship with neighborhood children.

He mentors the kids and allows them to use his personal computer for social activity and homework. Krull is also a boy scout volunteer, heads a neighborhood watch program and teaches a class on "stranger danger."

One rather curious side note: Krull's official biography says he holds a bachelor's degree from Amundson College, but Google doesn't show any such institution. There are a few hits for "Amundsen College," with an "e," but it appears to have been a junior college later absorbed (or name-changed) into Truman College, one of the City Colleges of Chicago. The CCC budget confirms this (page 12; PDF). And from the very start, Amundsen/Truman was a two-year college, which would not have offered bachelor's degrees. So how did Krull get a B.A. from Amundsen? Did he, in fact?

So, we've got circumstantial evidence showing Krull to be a Republican, which as we've already seen is plenty good enough for Blast Off!'s Florida GOP Police Blotter. And we've got further circumstantial evidence that he may have lied about his background. This one needs more investigative skill than I have ... but for now we can welcome yet another member of the Florida GOP Police Blotter, Jeff Krull. Congratulations, and good luck at trial!