Who:
Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office
-Patrol Operations Bureau

Deputy John Farese
Date of Hire: 07/18/2016
Charges: One count Battery Domestic Battery and one count of Tampering with a Witness.

What:
An off duty Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office deputy has been arrested following a domestic related dispute.

Where:
The incident occurred at a residence in Palm Harbor. Per Florida Statute 119.071(4)(c)(2) no further details on the occurred location will be released.

When:
Deputies responded to the residence at about 9:52 p.m. on January 10, 2017.

Deputy Farese was arrested at about 12:05 a.m. on January 11, 2017.

How/Why:  
An off duty Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office deputy has been arrested following a domestic related dispute.

According to deputies, they responded to an undisclosed residence in Palm Harbor regarding a report of a domestic related dispute. When deputies arrived they determined that off-duty Deputy John Farese and his ex-girlfriend and former co-habitant had engaged in an argument at the residence.

Deputies say that Farese grabbed the victim’s wrist during a struggle for the victim’s cellular phone that caused the victim to fall on the ground.

Farese then took the victim’s cellular phone when she communicated her intention to call 911 and report the incident.  

During the course of the argument, the victim was holding their 22-month-old child. The child was not injured. The victim sustained minor injury to her knee and wrist.

Farese was arrested and charged with one count of Domestic Battery and one count of Tampering with a Witness.

Farese was transported to the Pinellas County Jail without incident.

The investigation continues.