Editor's note: This story has been updated to include a statement from former Deputy Brian Overton.

A deputy with the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office was fired on Monday for inappropriate conduct with female citizens he met while on the job, according to the agency.

Brian Overton, 35, had been a deputy for more than eight years before being terminated by Sheriff Bob Gualtieri.

"Deputy Overton's conduct was reprehensible," Gualtieri said. "Instead of honoring his oath to help others, he tried to take advantage of women in vulnerable situations for self-serving sexual gratification."  
Overton was reprimanded last year after a woman complained the deputy was sending her unwelcome text messages. She told the Sheriff’s Office that she met Overton during the investigation of her father’s death.

Gualtieri said another woman complained last February about deputy Overton, saying text messages he sent her "unprofessional, creepy and scary."

According to the sheriff, that woman met Overton during a child abuse call and felt she was being sexually harassed. 

Investigators determined that Overton was using a phone application that concealed his personal number. He admitted the texts were improper and were sent for the sole purpose of engaging the complainants in personal conversation, according to the administrative review board.  

"Overton's conduct is inconsistent with how a deputy sheriff should conduct himself," Gualtieri said. "He has forfeited the privilege of being a law enforcement officer." 

In response to the accusations and his termination, Overton released the following statement to Spectrum Bay News 9 through a representative:

“I am not here to make excuses. Through intensive counseling, use of critical incident stress management resources, and my faith, I have come to know and reckon with how my conduct impacted others... I was looking for affirmation.  I understand that these women were strangers who I was supposed to protect and serve. At the time, I was just thinking about me. I did not think about how my conduct would impact them.  I know now that I made them feel uncomfortable, and that I likely changed the way that they view and rely on law enforcement. For that, I offer my deepest apologies and sincerest regrets.”

According to our partners at the Tampa Bay Times, Overton comes from a prominent Florida family. His father, William Overton, served for decades as a Pinellas County Court judge, and his grandfather, Ben Overton, was a Florida Supreme Court Justice.