MARTIN COUNTY, Fla. — A former Martin County deputy accused of falsifying more than a dozen drug related arrests could accept a plea deal Thursday morning.
Stephen O’Leary was arrested and fired in 2019.
An investigation found that he arrested people for drug charges when they never had drugs in their possession, or he would submit substances into evidence that weren’t actually drugs.
Some of the people he arrested said they spend days or even months in jail when they never committed a crime.
The State Attorneys Office confirmed O’Leary is being offered a plea deal that would cap his possible sentence at no more than 17-years behind bars.
His alleged victims say they have since had trouble getting new jobs, some lost their jobs, and spend money fighting the charges.
Sheriff William Snyder said in a statement, “The entire criminal justice system is based on trust and integrity. Deputy O’Leary fractured that trust and it is my responsibility to repair the damage and do everything possible to prevent something like this from happening again.”
O'Leary will be in court Thursday morning at 9 a.m.
