TCPalm by Janet Begley
June 16, 2020
SEBASTIAN — City Council members Damien Gilliams and Pamela Parris have been charged with perjury and violating the state Sunshine Law.
Gilliams turned himself in to the Sheriff’s Office Tuesday and was released on $1,000 bond. Parris has not yet been arrested or booked, officials said Tuesday.
Gilliams was charged with one count of perjury, a first-degree misdemeanor; and two counts of violating the Sunshine Law. Parris faces one count of perjury and one of violating the Sunshine Law.
Neither Gilliams nor Parris could be reached for comment.
The charges stem from a clandestine City Council meeting Gilliams and Parris held April 22 with Vice Mayor Charles Mauti. After the regularly scheduled council meeting was canceled, the three unlocked City Hall and convened their own meeting behind closed doors.
They voted to fire City Manager Paul Carlisle, City Attorney Manny Anon, City Clerk Jeannette Williams and to replace Mayor Ed Dodd with Gilliams. A court later ruled those actions invalid.