A Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office internal investigation made public Monday includes allegations involving Clay County Sheriff Darryl Daniels.
The Internal Affairs report does not implicate Daniels in any wrongdoing. He was not a JSO employee while the investigation was ongoing.
However, in secret recordings included in the investigative file, the sheriff acknowledges having an affair with a subordinate while he was the director of the Duval County Jail and she was a correctional officer who worked under him.
The recordings also include allegations that the two had sexual relations on duty. However, those claims were found to be “not sustained.”
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) is reviewing the information involving the Clay County Sheriff to determine whether or not these allegations are criminal in nature.
FDLE tells First Coast News that "a review can include investigative steps, like preliminary interviews and the gathering of documents. A review can move into an investigation or can be closed with no further action."
Daniels declined to speak with JSO internal affairs investigators.
The IA report documents an increasingly messy relationship that began sometime after corrections officer Cierra Smith was hired to work at the jail in 2013. It’s not clear when the relationship ended, but it did not end well. A report from the Clay County Sheriff’s Office just last week indicates Sheriff Daniels summoned his own agency to report Smith for stalking him.
In his sworn statement, Daniels said Smith “willfully and intentionally followed me in a manner that caused me great concern.” He described a scene in which Smith followed his vehicle in and around several parking lots off of Oakleaf Village Parkway before ending up outside Oakleaf Village Elementary School.
At some point, Daniels says that his wife also showed up and began recording the two vehicles. Daniels claims Smith mouthed the words “We can do this all day.”
According to Smith’s sworn statement, she says she tried to leave the scene but was blocked in by the sheriff's wife. Soon after, she was detained by deputies. Smith was held in custody for about six hours but was not charged. No charges were ever filed because Daniels decided not to press charges.
Sheriff Daniels was traveling this week and could not be reached for comment. However, a spokesperson said the sheriff might be willing to comment on this “personal matter” when he returns to Florida later in the week.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has been made aware of the investigation but it’s unclear what -- if any -- action they may take.
Stay with First Coast News on air and online for more on this developing story.