Shooting rampage baffles Sheriff's Office

No one at the Collier County Sheriff's Office saw it coming.

Sheriff Don Hunter said Monday there were no telltale signs indicating what was in store for the in-laws of a former deputy, who resigned from the Sheriff's Office three days before killing himself and two members of his estranged wife's family in Cape Coral on Friday.

Thomas Ciesla, 28, shot and killed Amy Ciesla's father, Thomas Podejko, 63, and her aunt, Carol Lindner, 62, before turning the gun on himself at about 9:15 p.m. Friday, Cape Coral Police said. Thomas Ciesla also wounded his estranged wife's uncle, Thomas Lindner, shooting him in the hand.

Lindner remained at Lee Memorial Hospital on Monday. He was in a progressive care unit and his condition was improving, hospital officials said.

Amy Ciesla was present at the home at the time of the shootings but was not injured.

"It appeared Thomas Ciesla was functioning within the norms here," Hunter said during a news conference Monday. "I am searching for answers, just as everyone is.

"Why would someone react so violently ... especially someone like Ciesla, who has every opportunity to seek out support from the agency, where it is available to him?"

Police said the shootings occurred at the home Ciesla shared with his wife, at 1021 S.W. 18th Terrace, near Palmetto Pine Country Club.

Ciesla's violent end marked the second suicide by a former Collier deputy this year. Cpl. Craig Marshall shot himself March 6, two days after being fired from the Sheriff's Office for making a false report.

Having two officers who killed themselves within months of each other is uncommon, Hunter said. There is no evidence that suicidal behavior is becoming a trend in the agency, he said.

"We don't believe anyone, including the public, has anything to worry about," Hunter said. "We're satisfied that the members who are here should be here."

Hunter said job stress can be high and unpredictable for deputies, who witness disturbing crimes and death routinely. For that reason, the Sheriff's Office has several counseling programs in place for deputies who need an emotional or psychological outlet, he said.

In addition to allowing group discussion sessions among officers following particularly distressing events, the Sheriff's Office has contracts with several therapists, who are readily available for use by deputies, Hunter said.

It is unknown whether Ciesla was utilizing any of the counseling resources. If a therapist had determined Ciesla was a threat to himself or others, supervisors would have been notified, Hunter said.

"After 25 years as a member of this agency ... can bear testament to the fact that law enforcement and corrections can wear on a person and contribute to life stresses," he said. "We're very proactive, but we can't predict how any of the 1,400 members here will act on any given day."

Hunter said he has no plans to change the agency's hiring system. The agency will continue to use its system of stringent mental, psychological and emotional tests to determine who it will hire.

Ciesla worked as a corrections officer at the Immokalee Jail Center from Feb. 17, 2004, until his sudden resignation on June 20.

Before joining the Sheriff's Office, Ciesla received an honorable discharge from the U.S. Army after serving from 1996 to 2000. He moved to Lee County in 2003, where he worked for a cable company.

In his application to the Collier Sheriff's Office, Ciesla admitted to using marijuana recreationally before becoming a deputy. Hunter said the recreational use of a minor drug, like marijuana, prior to serving as a deputy would not necessarily disqualify applicants.

Ciesla was reprimanded in two performance reviews for using too many sick days. Hunter said there is no specific limit on how many days can be taken, but if it appears a deputy is using the days to extend weekends, or if too many are being used in a row without consent from a doctor, it can raise red flags.

Ciesla was also verbally reprimanded for having an "attitude problem" with some of his supervisors, Hunter said.

Ciesla resigned from the Sheriff's Office suddenly following a policy disagreement with his supervisor. Ciesla was permitting an inmate to shower after designated hours, and the supervisor put a stop to it, Hunter said.

When Ciesla hand-delivered his resignation letter Wednesday, he told a superior he was tired of working as a corrections officer and working with supervisors. Ciesla told the superior he was on his way to an Army recruiting center, Hunter said.

It is unknown whether Ciesla visited a recruiting center.

Cape Coral Police believe Ciesla was distraught over his impending divorce. He was also upset, because his application to join the Cape Coral Police Department had been denied, officials said. City and police officials were slated to release his application to the media Monday, but had not done so by late afternoon.

According to Lee County Civil Court records, Amy Ciesla filed for divorce June 6. In court papers, Amy Ciesla cited "irreconcilable differences" as a reason for her divorce request. The petition said the couple had been separated since May of this year, and the marriage was irretrievably broken. The two married in December 1999, while living in Somerville, N. J. The couple have no children, according to the court records.

Reached by telephone Monday, Amy Ciesla angrily asked a Daily News reporter to "please leave my family alone," before hanging up.

Cape Coral police are investigating the crime as a domestic dispute. The agency has not released a clear motive for the shootings and are still investigating angles, said Dyan Zedeker, a police spokeswoman. No arrests have been made.

A recording of the 911 call made from a cell phone inside the home Friday evening is also scheduled to be released soon, Zedeker said.

While recent court documents show that both Ciesla and his estranged wife lived at the site of the killings, neither is listed as the home owner. According to Lee County Property Appraiser's Office records, the home is owned by Podejko. The couple's only real estate holding in Lee County is a vacant piece of property just a few blocks from the four-bedroom, two-bathroom home where the shootings occurred.

Staff writer Nicholas P. Alajakis contributed to this report.