A former Hillsborough County detective is facing more than 70 criminal charges, including misconduct and tampering with evidence.
Dalton Lewis worked in the Criminal Investigation Division until 2021. Prior to his resignation, investigators say he tried to conceal his remaining incomplete cases by re-assigning them to a retired employee or simply removing his name as lead investigator.
A total of 36 cases were left unassigned. The motive for his actions is unclear.
NEWS RELEASE FROM HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE
A former Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office detective is facing charges of misconduct and tampering with evidence.
Dalton Lewis, 32, was employed with HCSO from 2016 to 2021 and worked as a detective within the Criminal Investigations Division. Through the course of a criminal investigation, detectives determined that prior to Lewis resigning from the agency on August 27, 2021, he attempted to conceal his remaining incomplete cases by reassigning them to a retired employee or simply removing his status as the lead investigator. These actions were confirmed when Lewis' user activity was searched internally and matched the above-mentioned conduct. A total of 36 cases were reassigned or left unassigned.
Immediately upon identifying the issue, supervisors reassigned each case to other detectives. No additional revictimization took place during the time that the cases were left unassigned. At this time, the motive for Lewis' actions remains unclear.
The Pasco Sheriff's Office arrested Lewis at his home on June 27, 2022, without incident. He faces one count of tampering with physical evidence and 72 counts of unlawfully withhold or detain records from successor by public officer or employee.
STATEMENT FROM SHERIFF CHAD CHRONISTER
"The behavior and misconduct exhibited by this former law enforcement officer are shameful and not a representation of the nearly 4,000 dedicated employees of the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. Intentionally concealing cases involving victims seeking justice is a clear break of the oath he once took to protect and serve the Hillsborough County community," said Sheriff Chad Chronister. "This once trusted public servant spent his final hours trying to hide his unfinished business. Thankfully, the only harm he caused was to himself, and now, he will face the consequences for attempting to conceal those incomplete cases from the same people he once considered his peers. Let this be an example that nobody, including the men and women of law enforcement, is above the law."
A Pinellas County patrol deputy has been fired on charges of falsifying an official report.
Deputy Joshua Sacino was found to have ignored orders in late March to do traffic enforcement along Seminole Blvd.
He was also accused of fabricating a report claiming that the owner of a car legally parked in a Wal-Mart lot was involved in drug activity...when he was not.
NEWS RELEASE FROM PINELLAS COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE
PINELLAS COUNTY - On June 28, 2022, a Pinellas County Sheriff's Office patrol deputy was terminated after an investigation revealed violation of Duties and Responsibilities and Conduct Unbecoming Members of the Agency.
According to the Administrative Investigation Division, on March 30, 2022, Deputy Sacino was directed by his supervision to conduct proactive initiatives, focusing on traffic enforcement in the area of Seminole Boulevard. Deputy Sacino ignored these instructions and sat idle in his agency assigned patrol vehicle for over four hours surfing the internet.
Upon completion of the initiative, Deputy Sacino was instructed to provide statistics and related case numbers to his supervisor. Deputy Sacino lied and told his supervisor that he conducted one traffic stop and provided a motorist with a "verbal warning," when he did not actually conduct any traffic stops.
Deputy Sacino ignored the requests from his supervisors when asked for the case number and documentation for the traffic stop.
The Administrative Investigation Division determined that after being questioned by his supervisors about his inactivity that night, Deputy Sacino drove to a Walmart and found a vehicle lawfully parked in the parking lot. The vehicle's owner had not actually done anything wrong or illegal. He never exited his patrol vehicle, ran the license plate of the vehicle and then left the parking lot. Deputy Sacino later fabricated a report and entered it into the agency's report management system (ACISS), falsely documenting that the vehicle's owner was involved in drug activity.. In the report, Deputy Sacino stated an anonymous transient flagged him down regarding a suspicious vehicle involved in narcotics activity, which was a lie. Deputy Sacino then documented that he located this vehicle and falsely documented the owner's involvement in drug activity.
Deputy Sacino was questioned by his supervision after reviewing his Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) activity, body worn camera activity and in-car camera activity for the shift. When questioned whether or not the traffic stop really occurred, Deputy Sacino originally stated he pulled up next to a vehicle, made contact with the occupants and gave them a verbal warning for a traffic violation. When confronted further, Deputy Sacino admitted that the traffic stop did not occur and he fabricated the entire incident.
Additionally, Deputy Sacino intentionally and knowingly falsified the narrative of the suspicious vehicle report. He admitted there was no transient who flagged him down, it was just a vehicle legally parked in the parking lot, and he had no reason to suspect anyone related to the vehicle was involved in narcotics activity. Deputy Sacino intentionally attached a citizen and their vehicle to a narcotic-related report that could have adversely impacted the citizen. (The report has been deleted from the system and there is no adverse impact to the innocent citizen.)
During the Administrative Interview, Deputy Sacino admitted to fabricating information into official documents to include CAD and ACISS and stated, "It is very serious, and it's criminal grounds and grounds to be fired. It's a serious matter."
Sheriff Gualtieri stated, "Deputy Sacino did this for self-serving reasons, to conceal his lack of activity and incompetence, with no regard of the consequences thisreport could have had for the citizen involved, or for any citizen operating that vehicle in the future."
As a result of the investigation, the Administrative Review Board determined that Deputy Sacino committed these violations and Sheriff Gualtieri terminated Deputy Sacino effective Tuesday, June 28, 2022.
PHOTO: Getty Images