Three Hillsborough Sheriff's Office Employees Arrested in Separate Domestic Violence Cases Within Three Days

Two Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office deputies have been placed on administrative leave without pay, and a detention deputy cadet has been fired, after three separate domestic violence arrests over a span of three days, the agency said.

The first arrest came on March 22, when the Zephyrhills Police Department took Ivan Feliciano Heredia, a detention deputy cadet with the sheriff's office, into custody on a charge of domestic violence battery.

On March 24, St. Petersburg police arrested Deputy Brian Juliano. According to the sheriff's office, detectives in St. Petersburg said Juliano was in a verbal and physical altercation with a woman and threatened her with a firearm, preventing her from leaving the residence or calling 911 for help.

Also on March 24, the Pasco Sheriff's Office arrested Deputy Dayton Thomas over an incident in Port Richey. The Hillsborough agency said investigators determined Thomas was involved in a domestic-related altercation in which the victim was injured and taken to a hospital for treatment.

Jeff Swartz, a former Miami-Dade County court judge, reviewed the details for Tampa Bay 28. He described them as among the most violent he has read. "This is as violent a situation as I've seen with a police officer who didn't kill the person that he was having the argument with," Swartz said, adding the assessment applied "if everything in the affidavit is true." He noted that during his time on the bench he saw far more civilians than police officers in such cases, but said cases involving officers draw more attention. He said he did not expect a Pinellas County judge to give Juliano any leniency because of his job.

Chief Deputy Frank Losat addressed the arrests on Wednesday, saying the events were disappointing to the entire staff and to Sheriff Chad Cronister. He said thousands of employees come to work each day to uphold the agency's integrity. Asked about hiring, Losat said applicants undergo extensive background investigations, including home visits, a polygraph, employment verifications and interviews. He said that had anything surfaced in screening for the three employees, they would not have been hired.

Asked whether the agency plans additional training specific to officer-involved domestic violence, Losat pointed to the state-mandated academy program, field training and recurring training required by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. He described that instruction as general and based on the state domestic violence statute. He said he viewed the cases as individual problems rather than a systemic one, and that the agency would take action against any employee who violates state law, on or off duty.

Losat also addressed victims who may fear seeking help from an agency that employs their abuser. "There should be no fear," he said, noting that free resources and programs are available statewide, including housing and help for children.

The arrests come as the issue of officer-involved domestic violence at the agency has drawn scrutiny. Four years ago, Deputy Abigail Bieber was shot by her boyfriend, Detective Daniel Leyden, who then killed himself. At the time, it was the third murder-suicide involving Hillsborough County deputies in five years. Her father, Bruce Bieber, has said more must be done to prevent such violence, including specific policies at law enforcement agencies statewide.

An internal investigation will determine whether the two arrested deputies remain employed.