POLK COUNTY, Fla. — A former Polk County Sheriff's Office detective has been arrested and charged with falsifying official records.
- Dennis Jones, Jr. facing 22 counts of falsifying records
- Jones initially arrested in September; investigation resulted in additional charges
- Jones hired as deputy in 2013, as detective in 2017
According to Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, 31-year-old Dennis Jones, Jr. is facing 22 counts of a public servant falsifying official records. In addition, he also is facing two counts forgery and two counts uttering false instrument.
He is being held in the Polk County Jail on a $260,000 bond.
Jones was intiially arrested in September on falsifying records and forgery. He resigned immediately upon his arrest.
Since then, detectives evaluating Jones' cases found 22 more reports that contained falsified documents created by him. His actions did not result in any unlawful arrests, nor in a failure to arrest a suspect.
According to authorities, the common denominator in the 22 reports was his effort to take shortcuts and reduce his workload. According to the department, Jones was hired as a deputy in July 2013 and became a detective in October 2017.
"We are extremely disappointed in - and embarrassed by - Jones' lazy, deceitful conduct as a sworn law enforcement officer," Judd said. "He betrayed the trust of the men and women with whom he worked, and the public he was entrusted to serve. We want the community to know that we will always hold those who betray the public's trust accountable, and that it's our intention he is convicted and sent to state prison."
Dennis Jones, Jr. is facing 22 counts of a public servant falsifying official records. (Polk County Jail)