A Florida Police press conference took an odd turn when a sign language interpreter showed up on her own and incorrectly communicated what was said about a local area serial killer.
TampaBay.com reports that American Sign Language interpreter Derlyn Roberts arrived to translate Police Chief Brian Dugan’s update regarding the arrest of a suspect in a series of murders. As the press conference commenced, viewers from the hearing impaired community quickly became confused to what Roberts was signing because it didn’t fall in line with what Chief Dugan was saying.
Viewer Rachelle Settambrino, who teaches ASL at the University of South Florida says it was like she was singing Jingle Bells.
“She sat up there and waved her arms like she was singing ‘Jingle Bells,'” Rachelle Settambrino told the Tampa Bay Times.
“I was disappointed, confused, upset and really want to know why the city of Tampa’s chief of police who is responsible for my safety and the safety of the entire community did not check her out.”
Following the press conference, representatives from the TPD said they never requested a translator and are unsure where Roberts came from.
“We did not request an interpreter for a news conference on the 28th,” TPD spokesperson Janelle McGregor said, identifying the individual as Derlyn Roberts. TPD is conducting an internal review to determine “who sent this particular interpreter to the news conference to provide services.”
Calls to Roberts for comment by the press have gone unanswered.
To see the full press conference and Robert’s use of American Sign Language, flip the page.