A Volusia Sheriff’s Office sergeant was arrested July 6, after police responded to a fight Monday afternoon at Merk’s Bar & Grill in New Smyrna Beach.
Officers were called to the fight around 4:20 p.m., according to a New Smyrna Beach Police Department arrest report.
The “drunken” off-duty officer, Jason Stickels, battered a 71-year-old woman who was seated at a table in the bar, according to the sheriff’s office, which attributed the account to witnesses and video of the incident. When her 77-year-old husband intervened, Stickels battered him, according to the sheriff’s office.
A witness quickly subdued Stickels, taking him to the ground. No injuries were reported, says authorities.
Reached for comment July 7, Stickels called his arrest an “unfortunate situation.”
“It’s an unfortunate situation that I put myself in,” Stickels said, declining further comment.
Watch video of Volusia sheriff’s sergeant accused of battering couple
Where is off-duty Volusia Sheriff’s deputy accused of battering couple?
Stickels, 44, was arrested by New Smyrna Beach Police after officers responded to a call about a fight at Merk’s Bar & Grill, the sheriff’s office posted on its Facebook page.
Merk’s Bar & Grill is located at 193 Causeway N in New Smyrna Beach.
What charges is Volusia Sheriff’s Office sergeant facing?
Stickels was charged with two counts of felony battery on a person 65 or older, the sheriff’s office stated.
Stickels was released from the county jail July 6 at around 9:30 p.m. on a $10,000 bond.
Who is Jason Stickels?
Stickels, who has been with the Volusia Sheriff’s Office since 2004, was placed on administrative leave. He turned in his law enforcement equipment pending final discipline, which ranges up to termination.
In 2016, Stickels accused a postal worker of stealing his cellphone, costing local taxpayers an $80,000 settlement for the man’s wrongful arrest.
And in 2018, he served a 15-day unpaid suspension for ignoring an order from his superiors to stop pursuing a carjacking suspect who rammed a patrol car, damaging it, an Internal Affairs investigation said.
What did Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood say about the arrest?
Volusia Sheriff Mike Chitwood shared footage of the incident shortly after 10 p.m. July 6 in a Facebook post.
In the video’s caption, Chitwood offered to buy lunch for the couple Stickels is accused of battering and for the citizen who stepped in and confronted the off-duty officer.
“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,” Chitwood wrote in the post. “I apologize for this soon-to-be former Volusia Sheriff’s Office sergeant’s idiotic behavior today. He is locked up tonight. To the couple involved, please let me buy your next lunch at Merk’s. I would also like to invite the good citizen who stepped in and refused to be a bystander. Nice takedown.”
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Florida sheriff’s deputy arrested in bar fight. What Chitwood said
Reporting by Ashley Ferrer, Frank Fernandez and Patricio G. Balona, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / The Daytona Beach News-Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Ashley Ferrer, Frank Fernandez and Patricio G. Balona, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida | USA TODAY Network
