Clay County Sheriff blames ‘dirty politics’ for timing of his arrest

Jacksonville, Fl — Hours after his arrest for a felony charge of tampering with evidence and three misdemeanor counts of giving false information to law enforcement, Clay County Sheriff Darryl Daniels proclaimed his innocence in a more than seven minute statement posted on YouTube.

WATCH: Clay Sheriff addresses arrest, upcoming election

“One thing I take ownership of, as a man, is my failures as a husband. That has nothing to do with me as a sheriff”, Daniels said.

An FDLE investigation began more than a year ago when the sheriff ordered his staff to arrest his mistress for stalking.

In newly obtained court documents, it shows that Daniels turned himself in after the warrant was delivered to the Sheriff’s Office. The Judge released Daniels without bond last evening on recognizance.

The court documents also show that Daniels allegedly deleted data off a cell phone in order to impair an investigation, and gave false information to a Deputy Sheriff and two Florida Department Law Enforcement Officers regarding stalking and tampering with evidence.

His arraignment date is scheduled for August 25.

The incumbent sheriff is in a fight for re-election in next Tuesday’s primary, with several challengers. Early voting turnout in Clay County was at 15% through Thursday evening.

Cox Media Group