DeSantis suspends Clay County sheriff
(Clay County Sheriff's Office)
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday suspended Clay County Sheriff Darryl Daniels after the lawman was charged with a felony and three misdemeanors in an investigation related to a mistress.
Daniels, a Republican who is running for another term in Tuesday’s primary elections, was charged Thursday with a felony charge of tampering with evidence and three misdemeanor counts of making a false report to law enforcement, according to the order suspending him.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigated Daniels, and DeSantis on July 7 assigned Ocala-area State Attorney Brad King to the case. The executive order does not detail the underlying circumstances of the charges against Daniels.
But The Florida Times-Union reported that the investigation involved allegations that Daniels ordered staff members to arrest his mistress on stalking charges. Staff members told prosecutors they didn’t think there was just cause to arrest the woman, the Times-Union reported.