Florida Sheriff Darryl Daniels Refuses To Resign From Primary After Sex Scandal Arrest

Florida Clay County Sheriff Darryl Daniels was booked on felony and misdemeanor charges this week after an internal investigation from his previous job revealed that he attempted to have his mistress arrested.

Daniels, who is just days away from a reelection primary following his first term as sheriff, surrendered to authorities on Thursday after Special Prosecutor Brad King gave him the option to resign or be arrested.

Jacksonville.com reported that Daniels faces a felony charge of tampering with evidence and three misdemeanor counts of giving false information to law enforcement.

The arrest comes after a year-long internal investigation from when Daniels worked as a jails director at the Jacksonville Sheriff’s office. During his time in the position, he had an affair with one of the correction officers and ordered his staff to arrest her in May 2019 on stalking charges. However, his staff said they didn’t feel like there was enough evidence to warrant the arrest.

In a statement to Times-Union, Daniels’ attorney, Matt Kachergus, noted that since the primary election is scheduled for Aug. 18, he believes there were ulterior motives behind his client’s arrest.

“I find the timing of the obtaining of a warrant and pressing of charges suspicious in light of an election that’s pending five days from now,” Kachergus said. “It would appear that the timing of this is designed to influence the outcome of that election.”

Hours after his arrest, Daniels was released on bond and appeared to echo his lawyer’s sentiments.

“I want you to look past the smokescreen of dirty politics. One thing I take ownership of as a man is my failures as a husband. That has nothing to do with me as a sheriff,” he said.

As of Friday afternoon, Daniels is still on the ballot for the primary election.