ST. LUCIE COUNTY − Prosecutors and law enforcement officials are investigating an issue raised by Richard Del Toro, then a candidate in the 2024 Republican primary for St. Lucie County Sheriff, regarding “a false social media post” designed to make him appear to be a racist, records state.
Former Sheriff Keith Pearson, whom Del Toro defeated in the primary, through an attorney filed paperwork April 25 to stop a subpoena of records of Pearson’s personal Facebook account as part of the case, alleging a conflict of interest and also that the subpoena “is an unreasonable search and seizure.”
In court papers filed May 7, Assistant State Attorney Lev Evans argued caselaw follows state and federal rules and allows subscriber information to be obtained through an investigative subpoena, rather than a search warrant.
Evans also said the issue “is not yet ripe for State Attorney Thomas Bakkedahl to request a substitution or the court’s consideration of a conflict.”
Evans’ opinion is the potential applicable crimes could include harassment by use of personal identification information; criminal use of personal identification information; and possibly unlawful use of a two-way communication device, records state.
Del Toro won the 2024 election for sheriff, while Pearson in January announced he was tapped to become senior counselor to state and local law enforcement within the Department of Homeland Security.
At issue
The investigation began after Del Toro, then Port St. Lucie Police Acting Chief, in July 2024 “contacted the State Attorney’s Office regarding a false social media post which falsely identified him by name as the account creator,” records show.
“This false post was designed to depict Mr. Del Toro as a racist,” records state.
Bakkedahl, who endorsed Del Toro in the sheriff’s contest, agreed to allow state attorney investigators look into the matter to see whether a crime was committed and to identify the person or persons responsible. A Martin County Sheriff’s sergeant also was asked to help.
Pearson was appointed sheriff in December 2023 by Gov. Ron DeSantis after the abrupt resignation of longtime Sheriff Ken Mascara. Pearson had been a lieutenant before the appointment.
Before DeSantis’ appointment of Pearson, Del Toro in 2022 had been endorsed by the Republican Party in the sheriff’s race.
According to Del Toro, Mario Victor Wilcox, a Fort Pierce community activist, “circulated a false Instagram text message (attributed to Richard Del Toro) that depicted Del Toro as a racist,” records state.
The text message thread included a number of other recipients, including Kenneth Nail, then chairman of the St. Lucie County Republican Executive Committee, and Cathy Townsend, then a St. Lucie County Commissioner.
Del Toro thought Wilcox was being used to spread the message to discredit him.
Wilcox in September 2024 reported receiving the image as a text message from Jarret Romanello, identified as a detective with Okeechobee Police.
Romanello in a December 2024 interview with investigators said he helped Pearson with his campaign.
Romanello said he sent the text to Wilcox at the suggestion of Anthony DiFranceso, a supporter of Pearson.
Romanello said he deleted the message and it didn’t exist any longer.
Who is ‘Jambar Brown’?
Romanello later called investigators and said he found it and sent a screenshot, which showed it originated from a Facebook account of username “Jambar Brown.”
An address that investigators reported had ties to Keith Pearson’s son matched the IP address used to create the “Jambar Brown” Facebook account.
Investigators found a phone number associated with the account registration was associated with Keith Walter Pearson. Pearson’s son also is named Keith and both have Walter as a middle name, records show.
Evans, in the paperwork opposing Pearson’s efforts to stop the subpoena, noted the investigation isn’t done.
“As it stands, the investigation points to either Keith Pearson, Jr., or Keith Pearson, Sr., or both, as the creator(s) of the false text message,” records state.
Evans noted the investigation showed “a high level of sophistication was used to hide the source of this crime.”
He stated drug traffickers and criminals commonly use fake Facebook accounts, so-called burner phones and false registration names, and that detectives, notably those in narcotics units, often encounter these tactics. Keith Pearson Sr., he stated, was assigned to the SLCSO narcotics unit for years.
Will Greenlee is a breaking news reporter for TCPalm. Follow Will on X @OffTheBeatTweet or reach him by phone at 772-267-7926. E-mail him at will.greenlee@tcpalm.com.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Part of contentious St. Lucie County Sheriff’s race under investigation
Reporting by Will Greenlee, Treasure Coast Newspapers / Treasure Coast Newspapers
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