STUART, Fla. — A Martin County deputy has been arrested and charged after investigators said he was stalking a woman he met in a coffee shop for months.
Yerandy Cairo, 26, is charged with five counts of loitering or prowling and one misdemeanor count of stalking.
Sheriff William Snyder said the investigation began in June, when Stuart police officers began getting several calls about a suspicious person hanging around an apartment complex in the city.
"The people in the apartment complex kept seeing the same person trespassing, acting suspiciously, going around to the back of the buildings," said Snyder.
Snyder said the police department realized that person was Cairo, a Martin County deputy, and notified the sheriff's office.
Snyder said Cairo was placed on paid administrative leave as his agency launched an internal and criminal investigation into the matter.
Through their investigation, Snyder said deputies found Cairo was stalking a woman he met in the coffee shop, and had been communicating with on social media.
"He apparently became obsessed with her," said Snyder.
Snyder said Cairo admitted to stalking her, and was arrested Friday.
Cairo was hired by the department in February of 2022 and was officially sworn in that October. Snyder said he had no issues with Cairo prior to this arrest, and said he passed the agency's extensive background process.
"We are one of the hardest agencies in the area to get hired by, we do a lot of investigation, we talk to neighbors, we talk to former employers, we do drug screening, we check credit history, and we do everything we can to eliminate bad eggs or bad apples," said Snyder. "In this case, one slipped by us. And that’s one too many."
Snyder said Cairo is now on unpaid suspension pending the completion of the internal investigation.
As of Monday, he has not yet had a first appearance nor bond set.
