CLAY COUNTY, Fla. — A pretrial case management hearing was held Tuesday for former Clay County Sheriff Darryl Daniels.
The judge estimated during the hearing that roughly 75 jurors will be needed prior to the trial. He said there will be a final case management hearing in November before the trial starts Dec. 6.
Documents released earlier this year suggest that Daniels may have pressured employees to support his reelection.
The disgraced former sheriff lost his bid for reelection last August following a series of scandals stemming from an extramarital affair. The investigation began after officers claimed he instructed them to arrest his former lover, accusing her of stalking. That woman, Cierra Smith, was detained for hours but never charged.
The scandal spawned the criminal investigation. Daniels is currently charged with destroying evidence and lying to investigators. He has pleaded not guilty.
Almost a dozen current and former employees of the Clay County Sheriff’s Office will be deposed in the criminal case against their former boss, according to filings in the case. They include key witnesses like CCSO Sgt. Christopher Ruby, the first to arrive on the scene in 2019 when the sheriff allegedly called his own police department to arrest Smith.
Among some released material include videos and pictures taken from the day Smith was arrested. Recorded by Daniels’ wife, Denise, they appear to show Smith’s jeep tailing Daniels’ truck around a Clay County parking lot. The incident ended with Smith’s arrest.
The potential trial evidence released also includes allegations by former sheriff's office employees that they felt pressured to support Daniels' reelection bid.
