This Monday marked the beginning of proceedings against Dr. Jerrold Ecklind, the Ormond Beach man who, police say, pretended he was a cop. Ecklind was charged in April of 2008 with aggravated assault, false imprisonment and impersonating a police officer. Ecklind stepped between Ricky Wingate and Gina Oslizlo, who were having a heated disagreement. He told the two crack smoking buddies that he was “the police.” While the good doctor aimed one of his three loaded guns at Wingate, Oslizlo got into Ecklind’s car, was given handcuffs to wear and then driven around while being interrogated. Wingate was able to get the tag number of the car, and Ecklind and Oslizlo, a known prostitute, were later stopped and Ecklind was arrested. He was later released on a $25,000 bond.

The first day of deliberations progressed under Circuit Judge J. David Walsh. Prosecutor Dennis Craig let the victims tell what happened on that fateful day.

According to court testimony, Ecklind was only trying to help the girl. But Ecklind never called the police –Wingate did. The two victims, who were put on the stand, told a different story about Ecklind’s intentions. According to the male victim, Ecklind pulled up in his gray mustang. “I said, ‘We need the police! Call the police!’” Ricky Wingate said. “And he said, ‘I am the police. Show me your ID.’ “  Wingate told the doctor that he had no ID. Ecklind then drove off with Oslizlo. Wingate got the tag number of Ecklind’s car and called the police. In his 911 call, Wingate says “It’s an emergency! He’s got the female! … there’s a serial killer out there.”

The police caught up  with Ecklind, who had pulled into a Beach Street Driveway. Oslizlo was still in his car. Ecklind told her to remove the handcuffs before getting out of his car.

Ecklind claims that he kept handcuffs and three loaded guns in his vehicle for his own  protection. In a pretrial hearing, not privy to the jury, Ecklind said that it was only a stun gun that he pointed at Wingate. Ecklind did not take the stand.

A doctor’s word against two crackheads –pretty convenient. Do you think Ecklind may have realized this before choosing his victims in the first place? Do you think that Ecklind really was trying to help a woman in trouble? We’ll let you know how this turns out.

Ecklind was arrested again in July. He was high as a kite on drugs prescribed to himself. I wonder if the jury gets to know about this incident?

I think that Ecklind may have committed crimes that we don’t even know about. He does bear an uncanny resemblance to a composite sketch of a man wanted in a sexual assault near New Smyrna Beach in 2003. The victim in that case was abducted at gunpoint.

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