JACKSONVILLE (AP) – Clay County Sheriff Darryl Daniels, facing a primary contest Tuesday, was arrested Thursday following a sex scandal investigation at his previous job, authorities said.
Daniels turned himself in to the jail in nearby Jacksonville on a felony charge of tampering with evidence and three misdemeanor counts of giving false information to law enforcement. Gov. Ron DeSantis then issued an executive order on Friday afternoon, removing the sheriff from office and preventing his reelection until the charges are cleared.
Daniels was released without bond and within hours of turning himself in. Daniels released a statement where he criticized the investigation, saying a special prosecutor's office had offered him a deal if he would agree to resign and not run for re-election.
Daniels previously worked as the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office jails director. He was elected sheriff of Clay County in 2016.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement confirmed an internal investigation last year into a corrections officer who had been Daniels' mistress while he was her supervisor. Officials said Daniels had tried to get the woman arrested in May 2019 on stalking allegations, and investigators told prosecutors there wasn't enough evidence.
The woman, Cierra Smith, resigned while under investigation for misconduct claims.
Daniels’ attorney Matt Kachergus told the Florida Times-Union that the timing of the arrest seems suspicious in light of Tuesday’s primary election.
“It would appear that the timing of this is designed to influence the outcome of that election,” Kachergus said, adding he only learned two days ago that prosecutors planned to file charges.
To avoid a conflict of interest, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis assigned the case to the State Attorney's Office in Ocala, and named State Attorney Brad King as special prosecutor.
King's warrant for Daniels' arrest included a felony charge of tampering with evidence and three misdemeanor counts of giving false information to law enforcement.
The governor has the authority to suspend local elected officials charged with felonies.
Daniels is a first-term sheriff. He has earned a reputation in Clay County for his tough-on-crime statements that would go viral on social media, including a recent video where he threatened to deputized every gun-owner in the county in response to Black Lives Matter protests, and a video where he used military tanks for marijuana arrests.