Former Florida lawman allegedly aided drug trafficker while serving as deputy

FLORIDA – A former Gadsden County Sheriff’s Office deputy has been sentenced to federal prison in connection with a drug trafficking investigation in which the former lawman is alleged to have aided a suspected drug trafficker, the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida has announced.

The former deputy, Joseph Barnes, Jr., 54, of Chattahoochee, Florida, was sentenced to 10 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to one count of giving a false statement to a federal officer, according to a statement by Jason R. Coody, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

“Criminal conduct by those sworn to uphold the law represents the greatest and most harmful betrayal of public trust,” said Coody.

“The corrupt acts of an individual law enforcement officer endanger, rather than protect, the public.”

Court documents reflect that during an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force investigation, agents determined that then-deputy Barnes was actively aiding an individual involved in the distribution of narcotics in the Gadsden County area.

Covert recordings reportedly captured Barnes physically examining the drug trafficker’s vehicle to determine if law enforcement had attached a GPS tracking device prior to the vehicle’s use to transport illegal drugs.

In a subsequent covert recording, Barnes is alleged to have used his Gadsden County K-9, which was trained to detect the odor of narcotics, to determine if a K-9 would alert to drugs within a hidden compartment of the drug trafficker’s vehicle.

Barnes’ K-9 reportedly alerted to the presence of the narcotics, but Barnes took no law enforcement action, the U.S. Attorney’s office said.

Instead, Barnes gave the trafficker advice on how to evade law enforcement detection in the future, according to Coody’s statement.

When questioned later by agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Barnes is alleged to have made multiple false statements regarding his awareness of the drug trafficking activity and his efforts to facilitate the criminal conduct.

Upon Barnes’ arrest, he was immediately terminated by the Gadsden County Sheriff’s Office, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

“Law enforcement officers are given incredible power to enforce the law and ensure justice,” said Sherri E. Onks, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Jacksonville.

“The FBI and our law enforcement partners will always work together to stop abuse of power to insure the public’s continued confidence in law enforcement.”

The case stemmed from an investigation by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), a joint federal, state, and local cooperative which targets drug trafficking organizations.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Administration. OCDETF Lead Task Force Attorney, Assistant United States Attorney Eric K. Mountin prosecuted the case.