Former Santa Rosa lawman pleads guilty to multiple felony charges

PENSACOLA, Fla. – A former deputy with the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office pled guilty to multiple federal and state felony charges this week, announced Jason R. Coody, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

Scott P. Haines, 50, of Milton, Florida, entered his guilty pleas in federal court and state court separately, Coody said in a statement.

According to the statement, In federal court, Haines pled guilty to making material false statements to the Federal Bureau of Investigation during the course of its investigation. In state court, Haines pled guilty to the unauthorized access or use of a computer system or network in relation to law enforcement systems.

During his plea in federal court, Haines admitted that he became personally involved in the real property management and finances of an elderly woman in Santa Rosa County and deposited rental payments from tenants of the elderly woman into his own bank account without authority to do so, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

When confronted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Haines is alleged to have made material false statements regarding his involvement with the rental properties, the depositing of rental payments into his personal account, and his knowledge and involvement with the Last Will and Testament of the elderly woman of which he became a beneficiary.

During his plea in state court, Haines admitted to his personal misuse of the National Crime Information Center database utilized by law enforcement officers and analysts for official purposes, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

Sentencing is currently set for October 17, 2022, at 9 a.m., at the United States Courthouse in Pensacola before the Honorable United States District Judge M. Casey Rodgers.

Haines faces up to five years’ federal imprisonment and a $250,000 fine. He will also pay over $45,000 in investigative and prosecutive costs and relinquish his criminal justice certifications pursuant to the state prosecution.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. The cases are being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David L. Goldberg and Assistant Statewide Prosecutor Guillermo L. Vallejo.