Jurors acquit disgraced ex-Sheriff Darryl Daniels of all charges in sex scandal trial

In under three hours of deliberations, a jury vindicated Clay County's ousted sheriff of all charges filed in a sex scandal that included ordering deputies to arrest his mistress for stalking.

It followed three days of exhaustive testimony into Darryl Daniels' case, and the embattled ex-lawman smiled and lightly embraced his defense team with pats on the back afterward. He had faced a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison if convicted on all counts.

Outside the courthouse Thursday evening, a relieved Daniels said he felt good but didn't want to comment further just now. Friday he released this statement:

“I would like to thank the jury for their service and thank all of the people of Florida for their support during this challenging time for me and for my family. The abuse and overreach that I have had to endure over the past three years is an example of what happens when sectors of our government go unchecked. If this abuse of power by government entities can happen to a duly elected sheriff, then it can happen to anyone. I pledge to all Floridians and people from across the country who offered their support during these trying times that I will continue to fight for them to ensure that we all receive equal justice under the law.

"This abuse cost me my job that I loved and it cost Clay County their sheriff," his statement continued. "Similar to what we are seeing happen to former President Donald Trump and now with the Biden Administration working to hire 87,000 new IRS agents to harass and abuse Americans across the country, this type of government overreach has to stop. I look forward to identifying ways to continue to serve the people and working to ensure that the government works for them and not to persecute them."

Ex-Clay County Sheriff Darryl Daniels' lover: First to testify in his sex scandal trial

FDLE interview with disgraced Sheriff Darryl Daniels: Jury hears tape following sex scandal

Earlier Thursday, Daniels' attorney had unsuccessfully moved for his acquittal on charges of destroying evidence, knowingly giving false information to deputies and false reporting to law enforcement.

Matthew Kachergus said evidence presented shows that Daniels had broken off the relationship with Cierra Smith days before the sheriff said he was being stalked by her as he drove down Oakleaf Village Parkway on May 6, 2019.

Smith's own text messages prior to that show she was crying, feeling sick and knew she would have to support herself after receiving financial gifts from Daniels over the years.

"It is clear at that meeting that he broke off with Smith," Kachergus said. "The evidence is that relationship was over. .. He may not have written her off, but the romantic relationship? Oh yeah, that relationship was over."

Assistant State Attorney Toby Hunt disputed all of Kachergus' contentions and asked the court to deny the acquittal request, saying there is evidence that Daniels knew of an impending investigation and "did take some action to alter the evidence" of communications between him and Smith.

"He actually did destroy evidence because there is no way for the state to retrieve that now," Hunt said. "... We are just supposed to believe that he just decided to delete a 10-year-old Google account immediately after the woman he had a six-year affair with gets arrested involving him. That's just supposed to be an odd coincidence?"

Darryl Daniels' case summary

Daniels, 57, was arrested Aug. 13, 2020, following the year-long FDLE investigation. Those charges include destroying evidence and three more counts of knowingly giving false information to deputies, court documents said.

More charges were filed in February against the suspended sheriff for two more counts of false reporting to law enforcement and a new one of tampering or destroying evidence, according to Clay County court records.

The governor removed Daniels from office and appointed Michelle Cook as interim sheriff. Cook then beat Daniels and four others to become the county's first female sheriff, and she officially finished his term before taking the job full-time.

FDLE report on Daniels: Suspended Clay County sheriff deleted cell phone data, used police resources, report says

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Daniels' legal troubles began in 2019 when the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, where he had worked as jail director, announced an internal investigation into corrections officer Smith.

Smith has stated she met Daniels after getting hired in 2013, eventually becoming romantically involved with him "out of work on a weekly basis." She said she called off their relationship when she got engaged in 2015, then married and rekindled it with Daniels when she came back to work at the jail in 2019.

Based on the internal affairs investigation, then-Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams recommended Smith be fired that April.

The day it all came to a halt

Smith was taken into custody after Daniels called emergency dispatch that May 6, 2019, saying he needed backup because he was being followed and was in fear of his life. Smith also had a gun in her glove compartment, one she testified Daniels bought for her and put there himself.

Smith said the sheriff had arranged a meeting with her and she spotted him in his pickup truck and followed him as they tried to find a parking spot.

"Dirty politics": Clay County Sheriff Darryl Daniels reaction to sex scandal arrest

But in a 2019 FDLE interview, Daniels said he was being stalked by his lover that evening, afraid that Smith might shoot him or he might shoot her if he stopped and things turned violent.

"The fact that she just showed up out of the clear blue sky was cause for alarm," he said in that interview.

Deputies at the time said they didn't feel there was just cause to arrest Smith, and she was released later that night. But the 4th Circuit State Attorney's Office requested the FDLE investigate Daniels after recusing itself due to conflict of interest. Smith also was pregnant at the time, but she said not by the sheriff.

Embattled former sheriff opts not to testify

Daniels and Smith also had almost 2,000 text and voice messages, many of which were pointed out by attorneys. Jurors also were advised that Daniels did not file an injunction against Smith, or vice-versa.

Although Daniels decided not to be called to the stand himself, the jury heard admissions from his Oct. 10, 2019, interview with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

Ex-lover first to testify: Testimony begins in former Clay County Sheriff Darryl Daniels' sex scandal trial

In a portion of the FDLE interview played for jurors, Daniels said he believed Smith was out there for a long time waiting for him to drive by. He said he drove around for a while, leading Smith in the hopes of avoiding "a violent confrontation, a physical confrontation."

The jury also heard from former Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams, who said Daniels called him after Smith was detained. Williams said Daniels asked if Smith could be put in Duval County jail because it wouldn’t look good to have her in Clay's. Williams denied that request because it occurred in Clay.

Motion to acquit and closing arguments

The prosecution rested its case at 9:30 a.m., and the jury was excused. That is when Kachergus moved for acquittal of all charges.

Stating that specific intent of tampering must be shown, and since Smith ended up not being charged with aggravated stalking after the May 6 incident, Kachergus said anything Daniels did was only "to spare his wife."

Kachergus also pointed to the FDLE interview, saying Daniels was concerned that Smith was "unhinged" after he told her in late April that their affair is over. Her voluntary commitment for psychiatric review just days before that May 6 also backs that up, and Smith was known to be armed. Kachergus reiterated that the overall evidence shows "there was no pre-arranged meeting."

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Hunt countered saying there is evidence that Daniels knew of an impending investigation.

"He did not merely discard this evidence, he actively destroyed it," Hunt said, adding Daniels wanted all evidence on his cellphone deleted. "... The fact that it did not happen is why he is charged with the attempted tampering."

The judge denied the request and the defense rested, not calling any witnesses.

In the prosecution's hour-long closing statement, Assistant State Attorney Richard Buxman said Daniels wasn't truthful.

"He used his position for personal gain," Buxman said. "And by lying about various aspects of the investigation to law enforcement officers, he would be able to walk away, walk away and dig himself out of the hole that his choices and decisions had made in his professional and personal life."

Clay sheriff: Public apology to wife

But in his hour-plus closing argument, Kachergus pointed to many text messages Smith sent to Daniels that she had been told the relationship was over. That included her telling Daniels she "has been crying since he left" after a late April meeting where he clearly told her the relationship was over as he tried to save his marriage.

"The relationship, the intimate relationship, that was over. The government has been very selective in what they want you to hear in this case," Kachergus said.

A St. Johns County judge oversaw the trial to avoid any conflicts of interest.

dscanlan@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4549

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Darryl Daniels trial: Jury acquits former Clay County Sheriff