STATE GUARD

struggled to get off the ground. It has had three directors in its first 18 months and fewer than 200 volunteers, well short of the 1,500 authorized by the Legislature.

And its mission has shifted from a group of civilian volunteers helping after natural disasters to a group of what are now referred to as “soldiers.” The governor recently sent five State Guard soldiers to the U.S.-Mexico border in Texas to help address the immigration crisis. Some members were also sent to a combat training school last fall.

Lipari’s arrest comes as state lawmakers are considering enhanced background checks for State Guard members. State Guard leaders are asking for permission to run prospective members through federal background checks, noting that such checks are important because the volunteers will be deployed with vulnerable populations.

To be a member of the State Guard, someone can’t have been convicted of a felony. That has allowed some members to join despite having arrests on their records.

State Guard member Clovis Hibbert, 52, was arrested twice on domestic violence charges, court records show. In 2014, he was arrested after his partner accused him of being jealous that she was on Facebook, taking her phone and throwing it at her, according to the report. In 2008, he was charged with robbery and battery.

In both cases, Broward County prosecutors dropped the charges. Hibbert and his ex-wife also obtained several restraining orders against each other, most recently in 2011, court records show.

The State Guard’s leaders made Hibbert one of the faces of the organization, featuring him in a video and on its website under the heading “Know Your

Heroes.” Late last month, the “Know Your Heroes” page was taken offline.

The Times/Herald has not been able to reach Hibbert for comment. Dean, the State Guard spokesperson, has not responded to three requests for comment about Hibbert.

Monday’s arrest wasn’t the first time the local sheriff’s office has responded to Camp Blanding in relation to the

State Guard.

During last year’s training class, a retired disabled U.S. Marine Corps captain called the sheriff’s office to report being manhandled by the state’s National Guard trainers. Deputies did not bring charges against anyone in the case.