A now-former Lee County sheriff’s deputy whose body camera authorities said captured him targeting Hispanic motorists and stealing from them had his credentials stripped as part of his sentence.
Tyrese Jackson, 38, faced one count of scheme to defraud and three counts of official misconduct in a public agency. Lee Circuit Judge Nicholas Thompson on Oct. 22 sentenced him to 180 days in jail, followed by two years of community control and three years of probation, after he pleaded no contest to all four counts.
Community control typically involves a form of house arrest or GPS monitoring. It was not clear by publication how it would apply to Jackson.
Thompson also ordered that he relinquish all law enforcement certificates.
According to his arrest affidavit, Jackson became a Lee County sheriff’s deputy on July 11, 2022, and received a body camera approximately 17 months later. Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno announced in October 2023 the sheriff’s office began its rollout of body cameras.
Internal affairs personnel gathered Jan. 30 and began reviewing 120 hours of footage, according to the arrest affidavit.
Court documents list nine victims throughout seven encounters with Jackson between Jan. 2 and Jan. 22. The 25-page report says Jackson targeted Hispanic motorists, “with little to no valid identification” and a language barrier.
The documents say evidence shows Jackson removed money from motorists’ wallets and purses during his shifts. The report says Jackson carried out the acts while he trained other deputies.
Internal affairs documents say Jackson removed two $100 bills from one of the victims. The reports indicate Jackson asked for the victims’ wallets, even after they provided their identification.
While the victims stood beside their parked cars, the report says, Jackson returned to his cruiser, where his body camera repeatedly recorded him going through the victims’ wallets and what appeared to be the removal of their cash.
Some of the footage cut out momentarily, the report says.
Internal affairs documents indicate Jackson met with supervisors Feb. 8, 2024, when they replayed the footage and asked that he explain what happened.
Jackson was remanded into custody just before 10:15 a.m. Oct. 22 and released four hours later, records show. His mugshot remained withheld because of laws that primarily prevent the release of mugshots for law enforcement, correctional personnel and firefighters.
Tomas Rodriguez is a Breaking/Live News Reporter for the Naples Daily News and The News-Press. You can reach Tomas at TRodriguez@gannett.com or 772-333-5501. Connect with him on Threads @tomasfrobeltran, Instagram @tomasfrobeltran, Facebook @tomasrodrigueznews and Bluesky @tomasfrodriguez.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Lee County sheriff’s deputy admits to targeting Hispanics during on-camera thefts
Reporting by Tomas Rodriguez, Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News / Fort Myers News-Press
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