Pinellas Court Deputy Fired After Being Accused Of Sexual Harassment

PINELLAS COUNTY, FL — A Pinellas County sheriff's deputy was fired Monday after being accused of sexual harassment and discrimination, said Sheriff Bob Gualtieri.

According to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office Administrative Investigation Division, Deputy Timothy Lafave, who was assigned to the Judicial Operations Bureau's Detention Court Squad, behaved inappropriately toward a new female agency member as she was being trained for her job as a criminal justice specialist over two weeks in April.

Lafave was in the JOB detention control room while she was being trained and the woman said Lafave "liked to be closer" to her and appeared to have "a fond(ness) for staring" at her.

Other agency members noticed Lafave staring at the female member, and in conversations with them, the new employee described Lafave as "weird"and "creepy."

Neither the woman nor anyone else reported LaFave's misconduct to supervisors at the time.

In the fall, Lafave organized and prepaid for hockey tickets for himself and a group of agency members. This event was not agency-sanctioned. Lafave was requested by another agency member to purchase a ticket for the new woman recruit to attend.

On Oct. 18, Lafave's duties included escorting inmates from the jail to the courthouse. After Lafave completed escorting the inmates, he entered the X-ray/scanning area of the Pinellas County Justice Center entrance while the woman agency member was conducting safety screenings.

The woman said Lafave approached her and inappropriately placed his left arm around her back and hugged her from the side. Lafave then asked her if she still planned to attend the hockey game. After their conversation, Lafave left the area. Again, Lafave's inappropriate touching was not reported to any supervisor.

The next day, on Oct. 19, the woman officer was again assigned to the PCJC X-ray/scanning area. Lafave approached the her from behind and began to massage her shoulders. Fellow officers said Lafave's actions were unsolicited and unwanted. Lafave then moved to her left side while keeping his right hand on her shoulder, then he leaned in and hugged her. While Lafave was attempting to hug the officer, she made an obvious effort to lean away from him during the contact.

After the hug, Lafave kept his right hand on her upper body and began to rub her back. During this interaction, the woman officer testified that Lafave referred to her as "babe," as he began discussing payment for the hockey ticket.

Lafave's actions were seen by a deputy who reported Lafave's inappropriate conduct to supervisors, prompting the internal investigation.

The investigators said Lafave's actions toward the officer were wrong and in violation of sheriff's policies. His misconduct made the woman feel "uncomfortable" and "embarrassed."

The April staring incidents were not captured on video but the October touching incidents were captured on courthouse surveillance video.

Lafave admitted during his administrative interview to giving the woman unsolicited hugs on both days, along with massaging her shoulders and rubbing her back. Lafave attempted to explain his inappropriate touching of the young female as acting from a "fatherly standpoint."

Lafave was questioned during the administrative review board about why he was staring at the woman during her training and stated, "She was new. I'm just trying to get a feel for her as a person, as a co-worker," and he stated he was trying to make her "feel welcome."

The review board said Lafave's attempted justifications during the investigative interviews were lies in an effort to explain away his misconduct.

Lafave admitted during the final hearing that it was not appropriate or professional to physically touch a member in the manner that he did, and he agreed he violated agency policy.