CLAY COUNTY, Fla. — Opening statements began Tuesday in the trial of former Clay County Sheriff Darryl Daniels. Daniels is charged with two felonies including tampering with evidence and attempted tampering with evidence.
He’s also charged with five counts of giving false information to a law enforcement officer, all misdemeanors. The charges stem from an investigation into Daniels’ relationship with Cierra Smith, a former JSO corrections officer.
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Here are the live updates from Action News Jax’s Jake Stofan as they happened in court:
4:39 p.m.: No real question from the defense of Williams.
4:37 p.m.: Williams says Daniels accused Smith of following him during phone conversation. Asked if he could put her in Duval County Jail because ‘it wouldn’t look good’ to have her placed in his jail. Williams says he denied that request.
4:36 p.m.: Williams says he missed multiple phone calls from Daniels on day of Smith’s arrest. Had two phone conversations with Daniels that evening.
4:34 p.m.: Former JSO Sheriff Mike Williams takes the stand. Notes occupational status as ‘retired’.
4:08 p.m.: Prato is an inspector in the cyber high-tech crimes unit with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
4:07 p.m.: Joseph Prato next on the stand.
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3:37 p.m.: Previous statement made by Glenn suggests Smith told him the meeting was pre-arranged, but he had no recollection of there being mention of a specific meeting place.
3:36 p.m.: Glenn recounts Smith told his her meeting with Daniels was pre-arranged.
3:34 p.m.: Glenn reads vehicle inventory. List did not include CDs, which Smith claimed she was planning to give to Daniels during May 6th meeting.
3:32 p.m.: Glenn says he monitored Smith while Ruby spoke with Daniels during May 6th incident. Glenn says he conducted vehicle inventory of Smith’s car on May 6th.
3:30 p.m.: Cross examination of Glenn begins.
3:29 p.m.: Glenn says he waited outside the jail as he wrote up report. Wrote report with help of Sgt. Ruby, who responded to the call first.
RELATED: Jury selection begins in trial of former Clay County Sheriff Darryl Daniels
3:28 p.m.: Glenn says Daniels’ wife was yelling at Cierra Smith, but didn’t recall Smith reciprocating.
3:23 p.m.: Glenn says he was asked to respond to the incident by Sgt. Ruby.
3:21 p.m.: Glenn is a former CCSO deputy. One of the responding officers to the May 6th, 2019 incident.
3:20 p.m.: Joseph Glenn next witness called by the state. Glenn sworn in.
3:19 p.m.: Call logs seem to show Daniels indicated Smith would be arrested prior to the arrest being announced by Ruby.
3:03 p.m.: State set to play recording of Daniels call to dispatch.
RELATED: Former Clay County Sheriff Darryl Daniels appears in court, trial date set
3:01 p.m.: Cruz says Daniels called in reporting a suspicious vehicle on May 6th, 2019.
2:55 p.m.: Cesia Cruz is the next witness called by the state. Cruz is a CCSO investigator and former dispatcher.
2:36 p.m.: Ruby clarifies while Daniels claiming to have sought an injunction may not have factored into his determination of probable cause, it leant more credibility to his story.
2:32 p.m.: Redirect begins for Ruby. Ruby clarifies he did not search Smith’s car for CDs.
2:31 p.m.: Ruby says he doesn’t recall seeing any CDs in Smith’s car.
2:28 p.m.: “He advised me to charge her with everything you can,” Ruby says of Daniels when he was informed Ruby would be charged with armed trespassing and aggravated stalking.
2:26 p.m.: Ruby says Smith told him her and Daniels “were not talking.”
2:25 p.m.: Ruby acknowledges if he encountered the same situation with anyone but the sheriff, he still would have made the arrest.
2:24 p.m.: Ruby says he doesn’t remember Smith saying anything about returning something to Daniels as part of the May 6th incident. Ruby says Daniels didn’t order him to arrest Smith, but did state he would like her arrested.
2:22 p.m.: Defense shows Ruby previously stated the attempt to obtain an injunction did not factor into his probable cause determination.
2:21 p.m.: Defense pushes Ruby on whether Daniels’ saying he attempted to get an injunction factored into his determination of probable cause for arresting Smith.
2:19 p.m.: Ruby says he told Daniels he would have to arrest his wife if she didn’t settle down at the scene on May 6th. Daniels said ‘Do what you have to do’ Ruby says.
2:17 p.m.: Ruby agrees he was suspended for 20 days without pay and Daniels threatened to demote him during the course of his employment.
2:15 p.m.: Cross examination of Sgt. Ruby begins.
2:14 p.m.: Ruby says he believed the case would be better handled by a separate agency and took Smith home without booking her into the jail. Ruby described Smith as “very sweet.”
2:12 p.m.: Ruby says his opinion on the validity of the stalking charge changed after speaking with Smith for multiple hours.
2:09 p.m.: Ruby says Daniels wanted Smith taken to the Duval County Jail. Ruby told Daniels would have to make a call for that to happen, which he says Daniels did make.
2:08 p.m.: Ruby says Daniels’ wife reviewed his sworn statement. Ruby says Daniels didn’t want Cierra Smith “in his jail.”
2:05 p.m.: Ruby says Daniels’ wife was ‘causing a scene’ during the May 6th incident and at some point asked Daniels to get his wife ‘under control’.
2:03 p.m.: Ruby agrees Daniels telling him he had sought an injunction helped him conclude Smith should be arrested for stalking.
1:59 p.m.: She didn’t want to ‘spill the beans’ about her relationship with Daniels, Ruby says of Smith’s attitude during initial questioning.
1:56 p.m.: Ruby says it was communication with a Chief through which he decided to elevate the charge.
1:54 p.m.: Ruby says Daniels didn’t specify what Smith should be charged with.
1:53 p.m.: Ruby testifies Daniels told him to arrest Smith.
1:52 p.m.: Ruby says Daniels seemed embarrassed, more than threatened.
1:51 p.m.: Ruby says Daniels told him he’d called his wife when he first saw Cierra Smith on May 6. Ruby says Daniels told him he felt like his “life was in danger.”
1:50 p.m.: Ruby says Daniels told him this was one of his ‘mistakes’ in reference to the scene with Smith. Ruby says Daniels told him Smith had been following him and had attempted to obtain an injunction against Smith that same day, but was denied.
1:49 p.m.: “I’d never seen Sheriff Daniels in this kind of light,” Ruby says of his conversation with Daniels at the scene of Smith’s arrest.
1:47 p.m.: Ruby says Smith advised him she had a firearm in the vehicle upon initial contact.
1:45 p.m.: Ruby says he pulled behind Smith and activated his emergency lights. Smith stopped and Daniels’ wife pulled in front of Smith’s vehicle, blocking her in.
1:43 p.m.: Ruby says Daniels told him to ‘stop the jeep’ when he arrived on scene. Cierra Smith was driving the jeep.
1:42 p.m.: Ruby says he called for another unit to respond and he himself also responded to the call.
1:40 p.m.: Ruby says he heard Daniels come over the radio on May 6th calling in a suspicious vehicle.
1:39 p.m.: Ruby says he was disciplined by Daniels twice.
1:34 p.m. Prosecution agrees to allow defense raise disciplinary actions Daniels imposed on Ruby in cross examination, though the specifics of why Ruby was disciplined will not be discussed.
1:33 p.m.: Sergeant Christopher Ruby set to take the stand next. Ruby was one of the arresting officers during the May 6th arrest of Cierra Smith.
12:19 p.m.: Court recesses for lunch.
12:18 p.m.: Prosecution clarifies Smith did make mention of recording in initial police statement.
12:16 p.m.: Redirect beginning for Smith.
12:13 p.m.: In initial statement defense says Smith said the sergeant took a phone call before asking about the gun. Today Smith says the sergeant left with Daniels and only asked about the gun after returning. Smith earlier suggested Daniels may have informed the sergeant about the gun.
12:12 p.m.: Defense questions whether sergeant left arrest scene with Daniels prior to returning and asking Smith about gun in glove box.
12:06 p.m.: Defense questions how Smith could have heard Daniels order her arrest. Discussing vehicle placement and Daniels proximity from Smith at the time.
11:59 a.m.: Smith says she doesn’t believe Daniels didn’t want to be followed because he could have driven to his house instead of into the school parking lot.
11:56 a.m.: Smith says she didn’t expect an intimate relationship with Daniels to continue after being contacted by his wife, but still believed he would continue to support her.
11:54 a.m.: Defense points out Smith made no mention of the CDs in her initial police statement, though she claims she told officers about the CDs.
11:53 a.m.: Smith says she never had a chance to show arresting deputies the CDs she claims she was planning to give Daniels during the May 6th meeting.
11:52 a.m.: Defense notes Smith was Baker Acted in the early morning hours of May 1st, within hours of her alleged meeting with Daniels on April 30th where she claims the two made the plans to meet again on May 6th.
11:49 a.m.: Defense questions why Daniels would agree to meet Smith at a park three to four minutes from his home on May 6th when the investigation would soon be released revealing their relationship.
11:44 a.m.: “He did not tell me the relationship was ending,” Smith says when pressed on whether Daniels called off their relationship following April 28th meeting. Text messages show Smith told Daniels she hadn’t stopped crying ‘since you [Daniels] left’ on April 28th.
11:40 a.m.: “What was Mr. Daniels wearing?” Defense asks Smith about April 30th meeting. “Clothes,” Smith responds.
11:36 a.m.: Smith says its possible she left an April 30th meeting out of her initial police statement, saying she was pregnant and in the back of a police car and could not include every detail of her six-year relationship with Daniels.
11:34 a.m.: Defense presents text sent by Daniels on April 28th in which he says he’s about to inform his wife of the affair. Smith previously claimed she did not meet with Daniels after he told his wife of the affair.
11:17 a.m.: Court is now in recess.
11:09 a.m.: Defense shows Smith texts that suggest she met with Daniels on April 28th, 2019. Defense claims that was their last meeting before Smith’s arrest. Smith maintains she saw Daniels last on April 30.
10:50 a.m.: Smith says she provided a six-page long written statement to deputies after being taken to the jail, then was taken home by one of the officers without ever actually being booked.
10:46 a.m.: After gun is found, Smith says deputies tell her she’s now accused of aggravated stalking.
10:45 a.m.: Smith claims Daniels not only purchased her the gun found in her glove box at the scene, but he was the one who originally put it there. Accuses Daniels of telling deputies about the gun.
10:40 a.m.: Smith says she heard Daniels say “go ahead and make the arrest Immediately after Smith says the sergeant placed her under arrest for trespassing and stalking.
10:39 a.m.: Smith says one deputy stayed with her while the sergeant went to speak with Daniels. Smith says Daniels’ wife exited her vehicle and was “yelling and screaming” at Smith with her cell phone out.
10:38 a.m.: Smith says after taking her ID and going back to speak with Daniels, the deputy asked her to step out of the vehicle.
10:36 a.m.: Smith says she got scared when she saw the radio out and parked her vehicle. She claims deputies arrived moments later and Daniels’ wife moved her car to let them in. Smith says one deputy stayed by his car while the other went to talk to Daniels.
10:35 a.m.: Smith says the black car following her, driven by Daniels’ wife, attempted to block her car in. She then noticed Daniels had his police radio out.
10:33 a.m.: Smith says she and Daniels both drove over medians twice in the school parking lot.
10:32 a.m.: Smith says as Daniels led her to a school parking lot she noticed a black truck following her, with the occupant appearing to hold up a cell phone that seemed to be recording her.
10:31 a.m.: Smith says she followed Daniels through multiple parking lots in an effort to find two open parking spaces.
10:29 a.m.: Smith says she made a U-turn and followed Daniels, who she claims signaled for her to follow him.
10:29 a.m.: Smith says she left the meeting place to get her daughter food, when she passed Daniels traveling in the other direction.
10:26 a.m.: Smith says Daniels wanted to hear a phone call between himself and Smith’s husband recorded as part of the JSO investigation. Smith says she was supposed to give Daniels CDs with the recordings during their meeting.
10:22 a.m.: Smith claims her and Daniels had arranged to meet on what would end up being the day she was arrested by CCSO deputies.
10:21 a.m.: “He let me know he was never gonna leave my side,” Smith says Daniels told her prior to telling his wife about their affair.
10:19 a.m.: Smith says she was voluntarily hospitalized for a day and a half at the advice of her therapist around the time the results of the JSO investigation was set to be released.
10:16 a.m.: Smith says she sought advice from Daniels when she learned she was the subject of a JSO investigation.
10:15 a.m.: Smith says Daniels’ paid for her trips, jewelry and a breast augmentation surgery.
10:14 a.m.: Smith says most communication occurred on Daniels’ personal phone.
2021: New documents, recordings released in investigation into former Clay sheriff Darryl Daniels
10:13 a.m.: Smith says relationship with Daniels began again in 2019. Says she contacted him via voice calls and text messages daily.
10:12 a.m.: Smith says affair with Daniels did not begin immediately when she returned to JSO.
10:11 a.m.: Smith says her and Daniels remained in communication during her time in North Carolina.
10:06 a.m.: Cierra Smith takes the witness stand.
9:46 a.m.: Defense says background checks requested by Daniels occurred more than a year before investigation.
9:43 a.m.: Defense says state never attempted to obtain data from Daniels personal phone.
2020: FDLE says Daniels lied to investigators
9:42 a.m.: Defense says Daniels never specifically asked for agency phone to be wiped.
9:41 a.m.: Defense claims Daniels never used agency phone to communicate with Smith.
9:40 a.m.: Defense claims Daniels deleted Google account prior to investigation.
9:39 a.m.: “They can’t point to any evidence on the Google account, but they’re going to charge him with tampering with evidence,” defense says.
9:37 a.m.: “Do what you gotta do,” defense claims Daniels told officers on the scene, in contrast to prosecution, which claims Daniels ordered officers to arrest Smith.
9:35 a.m.: Defense says Smith saw Daniels driving on the road and busted a U-turn to follow him. Claims Daniels drove over medians to escape and Smith did the same in pursuit.
9:32 a.m.: Defense says Smith Baker Acted herself prior to May 6 arrest.
9:30 a.m.: Defense says texts will show Daniels ended relationship. “There’s not one text message about a meeting on May 6th,” Defense claims there’s no evidence of prearranged meeting on day of Smith’s arrest.
9:29 a.m.: “Mr. Daniels was not going to leave his wife,” says defense. “The evidence will show he did end the relationship.”
9:28 a.m.: Defense says Cierra Smith restarted affair with Daniels after returning from North Carolina.
9:27 a.m.: “Mr. Daniels has to prove nothing,” defense says.
9:26 a.m.: Defense begins its opening statements. “We have heard a long and convoluted story ... one that doesn’t make sense” Daniels’ defense team begins.
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9:24 a.m.: Prosecution says Daniels deleted Google account shortly after arrest of Cierra Smith. “That’s tampering with evidence,” prosecution says.
9:23 a.m.: Prosecution claims Daniels requested and obtained a background check on Larry Smith and Armeshia Johnson.
9:21 a.m.: “There’s things on that phone that don’t need to see the light of day,” Prosecution claims Daniels said to IT worker of old agency phone.
9:20 a.m.: Prosecution claims Daniels gave agency phone to IT department for a new phone and for his old agency phone to be wiped.
9:18 a.m.: Prosecution says Daniels called former Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams and asked for Smith to be housed in Duval County Jail rather than the Clay County Jail. Prosecution says Williams declined.
9:15 a.m.: “The relationship was not over until she’d been placed in handcuffs,” -Prosecution says of Daniels and Smith.
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9:13 a.m.: Prosecution says, while Daniels claims to have a sought a restraining order against Smith, he did not.
9:12 a.m.: Prosecution says Smith was driven home by CCSO Sergeant without ever being booked.
9:11 a.m.: Prosecution says Smith was never booked into jail. Instead, deputies asked Smith for a statement upon arrival at the jail.
9:10 a.m.: Prosecution says gun in Smith’s glovebox at time of arrest was purchased for her by Daniels.
9:08 a.m.: Prosecution says Smith was set to meet with Daniels when Daniels’ wife blocked Smith in a parking lot. Then deputies show up and arrest Smith for stalking and trespassing. According to prosecution, Smith overheard Daniels tell deputies to make the arrest.
9:04 a.m.: Prosecution says former JSO Corrections Officer responded to phone call with Daniels’ wife by texting photo of Smith with Daniels, along with the message “I hope you stand by your man.”
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