Police Sgt. Suspended Over Bible Verse and 'Obama Prayer

It's a small Bible verse that's causing a big controversy.

Psalm 109:8 simply says, "May his days be few; may another take his place." It's that verse that has become known as "The Obama Prayer." But after Sergeant Matthew Neu of the Manatee County, Florida corrections facility highlighted that verse in a jail Bible and a fellow sergeant stumbled upon it, Neu was suspended.

Sgt. Martha Nash, a colleague of Neu's, ran across the highlighted verse and told WTSP she was shocked:

Nash told the news station "she felt whoever left the note wanted the president dead and that the supporting verses after that verse support that." The following verse says, "May his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow."

Neu says that's not the case: he doesn't want the president dead, just out of office. In an interval investigation report, however, he does admit "Maybe it was not in good taste."

WTSP offers more details:

He adds that the desk where he left the bible is shared by several co-workers and that there was a stack of bibles on the desk. A stack of bibles that the chaplain hands out to inmates and other employees.

Neu says he planned to show the bible verse to others since he'd received an email about the bible verse because "he thought it was funny."

The sheriff of Manatee County, Brad Steube, was out of the office on Monday and 10 News was told no one else within the department would talk about the incident. We were told that the internal affairs report speaks for itself.

Meanwhile, Sgt. Neu has been suspended without pay for about 26 hours. That's about three 8-hour shifts.