An off-duty Florida sheriff’s sergeant allegedly tried to kiss an elderly woman and brawled with her husband in a two-minute meltdown that may cost him his law enforcement career.
Jason Stickels, 44, was arrested Monday after New Smyrna Beach police were called to Merk’s Bar & Grill around 4:20 p.m. over a reported brawl, according to the Volusia Sheriff’s Office.
By the time the sheriff’s office finished describing what allegedly happened, the agency had already placed Stickels on administrative leave, taken back his equipment and put termination on the table.
The office said witnesses and surveillance video showed Stickels making unwanted contact with an elderly couple during what Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood later described as an off-duty, drunken afternoon.
Police accused Stickels of “instigated and created unwanted contact” with the couple before the encounter turned physical.
“According to witnesses and video footage of the incident, Stickels first battered a 71-year-old woman seated at a table, then battered her 77-year-old husband when he intervened,” the statement reads.
The footage appears to capture the moment the woman’s husband pushes Stickels after the sergeant tries to kiss her.
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Stickels then pushes the husband, a waitress attempts to break up the scuffle and another customer takes matters into his own hands by putting Stickels in a chokehold and bringing him to the floor.
No injuries were reported, but Stickels was booked on two felony counts of battery on a person 65 years of age or older.
The sheriff’s office said Stickels, who had worked for the agency since 2004, was removed from duty immediately while final discipline is pending.
“He was immediately placed on administrative leave and surrendered his law enforcement equipment pending final discipline up to and including termination,” the statement reads.
Chitwood turned the arrest into a public rebuke, posting surveillance video and offering to buy the couple’s next meal at the restaurant.
“How to throw away your law enforcement career in 2 minutes. Off duty, stumbling drunk, harassing people who are just trying to enjoy their afternoon. To the couple involved, please let me buy your next lunch at Merk’s,” he posted.
“I would also like to invite the good citizen who stepped in,” Chitwood tacked on.
The sheriff later told WKMG-TV that Stickels went into a rehab program. The embattled officer received a $5,000 bond for each count.
A separate Florida body-camera clip put another public official in the hot seat, this time over a police-style SUV and a traffic stop that did not stay routine for long.
Hialeah Mayor Bryan Calvo, 28, was pulled over around 11:30 a.m. June 14 after allegedly making an improper left turn in Coconut Grove, Miami.
The black Chevrolet SUV he was driving drew more attention than the turn once Miami Officer Yasmani Gonzalez saw that the vehicle had flashing red and blue police lights.
The body-camera footage shows Gonzalez trying to figure out why the mayor was behind the wheel of a vehicle outfitted like a police unit.
“Is this a police car? Is this your personal?” Gonzalez questioned.
Calvo answered with his title. “I’m an elected official,” he shot back.
That did not move Gonzalez off the issue. “You turned on your police lights,” Gonzalez pointed out. “That’s a criminal offense, and I can easily take you to jail.”
The roadside exchange grew tense as Gonzalez warned Calvo that holding elected office did not give him police authority.
“I don’t care if you’re the mayor,” Gonzalez continued. “If you’re not a police officer, don’t activate police lights.”
Gonzalez also warned Calvo that the situation could expose him to a third-degree felony.
Calvo was not arrested. He instead received two citations, one for the alleged improper left turn and another for prohibited emergency lights on the vehicle.
Calvo has denied wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty, saying the SUV belonged to the Hialeah Police Department and had been refitted before he became mayor or received the vehicle.
“One citation relates to a traffic maneuver and the second concerns equipment that was installed on a vehicle owned by and registered to the Hialeah Police Department, a vehicle that was refitted before I took office and before the vehicle was assigned to me,” he wrote.
In Virginia, another off-duty officer is facing both a criminal charge and an internal review after an alleged assault inside a residence.
Vincent Baglio, 31, of Arlington, was arrested on a malicious wounding charge following an incident that authorities said happened May 24 while he was off duty.
The Arlington County Police Department said Baglio and the alleged victim knew each other.
Police described the accusation as a conversation that turned into violence and threats.
“During a conversation, the suspect allegedly physically assaulted the victim and made statements threatening harm to them,” police said in a statement.
The case was reported June 30, and detectives arrested Baglio after carrying out an investigation.
Baglio was placed on administrative leave while the criminal case and the department’s internal administrative investigation continue.
Arlington County Police Chief Andy Penn said the allegations are the opposite of what the agency expects from its officers.
“I want to assure our community that the serious criminal allegations in this case represent conduct that is wholly unacceptable and fundamentally inconsistent with the values, standards and responsibilities of our agency,” Penn stated.
“Such actions are in direct contradiction to the oath we take and the professional expectations we place on every law enforcement officer.”
Penn noted that a criminal investigation and internal review would be conducted by the department.
