JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — (Editor's Note: Scroll to the bottom of the article for additional tweets)
Witness testimony continued Wednesday in the trial of ex-Clay County Sheriff Darryl Daniels.
He's charged with evidence tampering and lying to law enforcement after allegedly having his mistress arrested for stalking him in 2019. Cierra Smith is Daniels' former longtime mistress and the woman at the center of the case.
The two allegedly started having an affair when the then 48-year-old Daniels was the director of the Duval County Jail, and Smith was his 21-year-old subordinate, employed as a corrections officer.
Prosecutors played Daniels' Oct. 2019 voluntary two hour interview with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for jurors Wednesday.
Daniels told FDLE in that interview that his relationship with Smith was "frustrating cycle of volatility" with ups and downs. In the recording he said they'd end things and then get back together like nothing happened.
The recording was played as part of the lead investigator, Inspector Keith Riddick's nearly six hours of testimony Wednesday. Riddick said financial records show Daniels sent Smith about $37,000 through CashApp over the years and also purchased things for her, like a close to $4,500 breast augmentation surgery.
Daniels told investigators that it was all his personal money, and said his wife didn't know because he was the sole person dealing with their finances. He said it's a good lesson that shows you shouldn't rely on others for finances and the person overseeing finances should have oversight.
"If you give someone enough rope, he'll turn himself into a cowboy," Daniels said.
He also recalled the day where Smith was arrested, May 6, 2019.
He said he was driving home from a board of trustees meeting. He saw Smith's Jeep following him. Daniels said he called his wife and told her Smith was following him.
“A million things are going through my head and I’m thinking, 'how does this end?' I start thinking, 'Clay County Sheriff has to kill a female,'" Daniels told investigators. "I said, 'that’s not a good look for myself or the county. Clay County Sheriff was killed by a young woman. That’s not a good look either,'" he said.
"I guess I’m going to have to open up Pandora’s Box here. I get on the radio. I got on the police radio I called for units to come to where I was," he said.
Daniels tells FDLE that he feels like the level of embarrassment he caused Clay County is irreparable some days, "I made a huge travesty of my marriage."
Daniels also said he never told the sergeant on scene the day Smith was arrested, now Deputy Christopher Ruby, that he tried to get a restraining order against Smith. Ruby testified Tuesday that Daniels did tell him that.
Daniels also told investigators he didn't think Ruby had probable cause to arrest Smith for stalking, saying it would've been a stretch. Ruby testified Daniels told him that day he'd like Smith arrested and to "charge her with everything you can."
Amie Herrera
Amie Herrera, the manager of the civil department in Clay County Clerk's Office for the Sheriff's Office, testified that she has no record of an injunction sought by Daniels or Smith. Ruby testified that Daniels told him the day Smith was arrested he tried to get an injunction against Smith, but was denied.
Injunctions would have been filed through Herrera's office.
Dominic Antoniello
The state's tenth witness was Dominic Antoniello. He was the IT manager at the time of Smith's arrest and during the Florida Department of Law Enforcement's investigation. Antoniello was in charge of the cell phones issued to Clay County Sheriff's Office employees..
Antoniello testified that on June 4, 2019, Daniels called him and said he wanted a new phone. He said Daniels told him "this phone has stuff that doesn’t need to see the light."
When investigators asked Daniels about this comment, he said it was a lie. Daniels claimed his phone was acting slow, so he needed a new one.
Antoniello said he swapped out Daniels' phones and kept Daniels' old phone in a safe that Antoniello and one other person had access to because he knew the incident was under investigation. He didn't wipe the phone.
Antoniello testified that he doesn't think there was SD card in the old phone when Daniels gave his old phone back, but also doesn't know if there was SD card in it to begin with.
Emails, contacts, calendar items are backed up from phone and texts are archived from the phones, Antoniello explained.
Jeffrey Davenport
The state's eleventh witness was Jeffrey Davenport, the general counsel for the Clay County Sheriff's Office. Daniels waived attorney client privilege, Davenport said, so Davenport could discuss the investigation with FDLE.
Davenport said Daniels told him the relationship with Smith was over when they spoke about the affair on May 1.
On May 7, one day after Smith's arrest, Davenport reportedly told Daniels how to seek an injunction if he was fearful. Daniels previously told deputies he tried to get an injunction, but was unable, Deputy Christopher Ruby testified.
Davenport says Daniels didn't tell him he was in fear.
"I think he was concerned about the circumstances of it,” Davenport said.
RELATED: Disgraced ex-Clay County Sheriff Darryl Daniels' trial begins Monday. Jury selection begins
On the night Smith was arrested, Daniels reportedly called Davenport. Davenport testified that Daniels appeared more animated and told him Smith had been following him, he called deputies and was concerned it was stalking.
Davenport testified told Daniels to recuse himself and Daniels said he already had.
Davenport said he recused himself too
Keith Riddick
The state's 13th witness was FDLE inspector Keith Riddick, the lead investigator in the case. He testified for nearly six hours.
Riddick said Daniels' financial records show Daniels sent a little more than $37,000 through CashApp to Smith over the years. Phone records show that Daniels Googled the phrase aggravated stalking the night of Smith's arrested, Riddick testified.
Riddick got subpoenas to search both Smith and Daniels' personal phones. He said there wasn't any evidence in the phones to substantiate that Smith claimed she and Daniels planned to meet May 6, 2019.
He testified phone records show from Jan. 1, 2019-Feb. 4, 2019, Smith and Daniels contacted each other through texts or by phone call 965 times. Some of the messages were sexually explicit, Riddick testified. Smith also sometimes accompanied Daniels on sheriff trips Riddick said.
He said the two had no contact by phone on the day Smith was arrested. According to Riddick's testimony, Daniels and Smith used the term Moch as a term of endearment often in texts.
On April 27, 2019, Smith texted Daniels that she knew their relationship was "slowly coming to an end," that he'll be "fighting for your marriage." Smith texted that she was reminding him at the start of the affair she told Daniels he'd keep to keep everything when all of this was over and she'd lose everything.
"I said I will help you," Daniels replied.
Smith's employer, the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office was conducting an internal investigation into her and she ended up quitting before she was terminated.
Riddick testified he didn't see any texts relating to ending the relationship or Daniels telling Smith not to contact him.
On April 28, 2019, Daniels texted Smith good morning, cell phone records show. Smith says she needed to talk to him and said she was home.
"I can visit you for a little bit if that’s an invite. I want to hug you and kiss your bottom lip," Daniels replied.
Daniels later told FDLE investigators he told Smith during this visit that "this isn't going to have a happy ending." He told FDLE the breakup was "long overdue," and said he had several unsuccessful attempts at breaking up.
Smith texted Daniels later in the day on April 28 and said she'd been crying since he left her house. Daniels told her to get out of the apartment because she'd "fall into a state of depression."
"I can't do this, Moch, I'm throwing up everywhere," Smith replied. She was pregnant at the time, but testified that the child wasn't Daniels'.
Daniels also texted Smith on April 28 a play by play as he told his wife about the affair. He said she "stormed out. I'll have to talk to you tomorrow."
Smith texted Daniels on April 29 and April 30 phone records show and asked him to text her to make sure he's at least ok. "Why are you ignoring my calls," she texted. Daniels responded that he was on stage at an event and would call soon.
On May 3, 2019, Daniels' wife texted Smith from his phone. She called her several derogatory names and said, "Don't call this number again. This is my phone now. He don’t want your crazy ass. By boo. Find someone at the Baptist psych unit you low budget hoe. Be seeing you son real soon.”
Smith texted back, "you just worry about standing by your man when News4Jax comes," and sent a picture of herself with Daniels.
Another interview FDLE conducted with Daniels was also played in the courtroom Wednesday. Investigators told Daniels Cierra Smith told her ex-husband Daniels could get her information any time she needed it. Investigators sked him if he used law enforcement databases to look up someone for personal reasons. Daniels denied this.
Riddick said records show Daniels looked up how to delete a Google account the night of Smith's arrest too and later deleted it. Defense attorneys argued he didn't know about the FDLE investigation when he deleted the account.
Riddick also testified that Daniels told FDLE he didn't have apps like CashApp, Snapchat and Kik Messenger on his work phone, but FDLE found evidence of it on there, contradicting what Daniels told them.
The state has three more witnesses that will testify. Court resumes Thursday morning.