Pinellas Detention Deputy Terminated and Two Others Suspended

Pinellas Detention Deputy Terminated and Two Others Suspended

Posted: June 20, 2016

The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office announced the termination of one detention deputy and the suspension of two others.

In the first case, 26 year-old Detention Deputy Matthew Stanfield, was terminated for battering an inmate at the Pinellas County Jail.

The incident occurred while the detention deputy was on duty on March 22, 2016 in the inmate housing area.  Stanfield’s date of hire is listed as October 17, 2011.

According to the administrative investigation, Deputy Mathew Stanfield was conducting checks in an inmate housing unit when he found graffiti written on the wall of a cell.  According to the investigators, the graffiti was derogatory in nature towards law enforcement.

Administrative Investigation Division investigators say that an inmate inside the cell accepted responsibility for the graffiti.  Stanfield angrily instructed the inmate to meet him in an area of the jail that was obscured from video monitoring. The inmate followed Stanfield to a cell that was occupied by four other inmates.




Investigators say that Stanfield ordered the four inmates out of the video obstructed cell and directed them to a location where their view was obstructed. Stanfield remained in the unmonitored cell with the inmate for approximately three minutes.

According to the inmate, when he entered the cell with Stanfield, the deputy threatened him with his Electronic Control Weapon.  Stanfield informed the inmate that they were going to “grapple” and charged the inmate grabbing his leg, lifting him off the ground, knocking him backward into a concrete wall, and then to the floor.

The inmate told investigators that Stanfield’s rules were, “no punching in the face and the first one to hit the ground loses.”

Investigators say that the inmate suffered non-life threatening injuries to his arm and his back, and was treated by jail medical staff.

Investigators say that Stanfield failed to prepare an incident report, use of force report, or inmate disciplinary report for the inmate’s alleged writing of the graffiti. Stanfield also provided false factual statements about the incident when questioned by his Chain of Command and the Administrative Investigation Division.

As a result of the administrative investigation, Stanfield was terminated effective Monday, June 20, 2016.  Stanfield denied using force against the inmate.

Investigators are conducting a criminal investigation into the incident and a misdemeanor charge for battery will be referred to the State Attorney’s Office.

The investigation continues.

In the second incident, Deputy Linda Roberts and Deputy Chad Somerville both received a suspension of 80 hours.  The suspension is a result of them watching videos and movies via agency internet access.

In one detailed report, they both failed to promptly recognize and respond to an inmate in distress.  It was only after an inmate had 7 seizures was action taken by the deputies.  They admitted that they were distracted from promptly and effectively performing their duties due to viewing of videos and movies.

In another report, the deputies documented that they conducted a “visual” well-being check of an inmate that obstructed the view of his cell by covering his in-cell camera.  Due to the obstructed view it was not supported by the digital video recording.