ORANGE PARK, Fla. — A probationary sheriff’s deputy in Clay County has been dismissed after an internal probe into misconduct allegations. These claims originate from a Middleburg resident who asserts that he was improperly arrested and that thousands of dollars were taken from him by at least one deputy after his booking into jail. The deputy’s name is withheld from this story as he has not been formally charged with any crime.

Now, the sheriff’s office has responded to those claims. 

In September 2024, Willie Davis Jr. was arrested along Wells Road in Orange Park. Clay County Sheriff’s Deputies detained him, alleging that Davis collided with a car in a parking lot and seemed to be intoxicated.

During his arrest, Davis possessed $6,900 in cash. However, Davis’ lawyer, Dan Faherty, noted that only $2,900 was deposited into his client’s jail account that night.

“It’s our position that this entire thing was a rouse in order to obtain my client’s money and there was no probable cause to pull him over at any point,” Faherty said.

The case against Davis was dismissed weeks later. Now, Davis wants his money back.

Faherty filed a letter of intent to sue for damages back in April 2025, along with a civil theft letter against two deputies involved with his arrest.

The sheriff’s office had six months to take action, and on May 22, Davis received a letter from the agency.

“It was a little disappointing because there were no specific codes of conduct or any other specific action that had been taken. It was just kind of, albeit a formal letter, it was very general,” Faherty said.

The letter from the Clay County Sheriff’s Office stated the allegation that a member of the agency violated the sheriff’s office, code of conduct was sustained, and corrective action was taken. A spokesperson for the sheriff’s office confirmed a probationary officer has been terminated.

“We hold all of our deputies and employees to the highest standards and this probationary deputy failed to meet those standards,” Sheriff Michelle Cook said in a statement.

Faherty said they still plan to go through with their lawsuits. They are seeking $200,000 in damages for the allegations of illegally arresting Davis and violating his fourth amendment rights, along with $12,000 for the money that was taken from Davis.

“We have certainly not seen any compensation coming our way to my client, nor have we seen any apologies or mea culpas for violating his civil rights, so none of that has happened,” Faherty said.