ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — An Orange County Sheriff’s Office deputy is in custody after a citizen complaint that led to a criminal investigation, the agency said Tuesday.
- Orange County deputy accused of grand theft, scheming to defraud
- Jackson Etienne, 25, arrested following criminal investigation
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Deputy Jackson Etienne, 25, is facing charges of grand theft and scheme to defraud.
The investigation began after a person stepped forward January 30, accusing Etienne and another unidentified person of a fraud scheme involving two buses and a Cadillac Escalade, according to a Sheriff's Office arrest affidavit.
The person who reported Etienne said they wanted to buy two buses from Etienne for a bus transportation business, according to the report. Etienne allegedly told them he could buy the buses for him at a lower price.
The arrest report says that after the business transaction was done, the potential buyer asked Etienne and his business partner several times for the location of the buses, and later asked for their money back, which was almost $30,000.
During the investigation, detectives said they determined that Etienne misled the buyer into thinking they purchased the three vehicles, while also never refunding them.
A Sheriff's Office spokesperson said Etienne has been “relieved of all law enforcement powers without pay.”
Etienne was hired in November 2016 but was relieved of duty as a patrol deputy when the investigation started and has been working an administrative role since then, the Sheriff's Office said.
After the criminal investigation, the agency's own internal investigation will continue, it said.