Who:
Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office
Investigative Operations Bureau
Burglary and Pawn Unit
Professional Standards Bureau
- Administrative Investigations Division

Deputy Steven Jared Smith (Arrested)
Age: 32
Date of hire: 10/12/2012
Charges: One felony count of Possession of a Controlled Substance and two felony counts of Grand Theft

What:
Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Steven Jared Smith was arrested and charged with stealing prescription medication, which were dropped-off to the Sheriff’s Office for disposal, and for pawning one of his duty guns.

Where:
Pinellas County Sheriff’s Administration Building located at 10750 Ulmerton Road in Largo.  

When:
Deputy Smith was arrested Wednesday, October 12, 2016 at about 5:00 p.m. He was released from the Pinellas County Jail Thursday, October 13, 2016 at about 3:00 a.m.

How/Why: 
During today’s press conference, Sheriff Bob Gualtieri announced the arrest of 32-year-old Deputy Steven Jared Smith on Wednesday, October 12, 2016, at about 5:00 p.m. He was charged with one felony count of Possession of a Controlled Substance and two felony counts of Grand Theft.

According to Sheriff Gualtieri, about a week ago, Deputy Smith’s former girlfriend provided detectives with information that he had stolen a bottle of prescription pills from a deceased person. She also provided a photo of a bottle with pills, she found in their bedroom and gave detectives the name on the pill bottle.

Through various investigative techniques, detectives discovered that Deputy Smith, while working at the front desk of the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office North District Station, in Dunedin on Saturday, September 24, 2016, received numerous bottles of unused prescription medication for disposal, from family members of a deceased woman, who recently passed away. The woman’s name matched the name on the pill bottle found by Deputy Smith’s girlfriend.

Video footage from NDS cameras showed Smith leaving with an empty paper bag, which was left over from his evening meal, and then putting the paper bag in the back of his Sheriff’s Office cruiser.

Yesterday afternoon, Deputy Smith was questioned about the pills. He denied stealing the pills, but admitted he had a drug problem and he does not take the pain killers, prescribed by his doctor, as directed.  

During the process of collecting PCSO property from Smith, one of his duty guns was found to be missing. He admitted to pawning the Glock 30, .45 caliber firearm on Monday, September 19, 2016 at Silver Dollar Pawn, located at 5607 State Rd 54 in New Port Richey. According to detectives, he received $250.00 in exchange for the firearm, which is valued at $450.00.

Smith’s employment with PCSO was terminated and he was arrested on Wednesday, October 12, 2016 at 6:00 p.m.

“This is an addiction problem, but law enforcement officers and Deputy Sheriff’s here in Pinellas County are going to be held to the same standards as anybody else,” Sheriff Gualtieri said during the press conference. “He needs to face the consequences for his actions and we hope that he gets the help that he needs.”

After posting bail, Smith was released from the Pinellas County Jail Thursday, October 13, 2016 at about 3:00 a.m.

The investigation continues.

Today’s press conference can be viewed on the Sheriff’s Office YouTube page at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SoyrL9TbWnA