Jacksonville, FL. — A Jacksonville Sheriff’s Officer is facing charges for allegedly asking a crime victim for inappropriate pictures.
36-year-old Brian Robert Pace, a former police officer is now behind bars after serving with JSO for 11 years.
The sheriff’s office says in May, Pace answered a call about a 30-year-old woman who had her cell phone and another item stolen.
Ivey told us that Pace was charged with one count of bribery which is a second degree felony.
“He took a report basically over the phone and then he reinitiated contact with her shortly thereafter claiming to have her property,” Undersheriff Pat Ivey, with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said.
He told us Pace asked the woman for inappropriate photos in exchange for her phone back.
The arrest report goes on to say detectives watched Pace in a parking lot after the suspect agreed to meet up with the victim to give her back her phone.
Police say he was arrested and detained and taken in for questioning.
Our Action News Jax Law and Safety expert Dale Carson said bribery is a serious offense.
“Punishable by up to 15 years and it is also a federal offense, a Hobbs Act Violation which is up to 20 years so he could sustain just from this behavior a considerable amount of time in custody,” our Action News Jax Law and Safety expert Dale Carson.
Action News Jax got a hold of his employee history at JSO.
We found Pace received at least 6 other complaints from 2009 to 2012.
Three complaints of failure to conform to work standards were sustained and written warnings were given.
Pace spent time as a bailiff, corrections officer, until he finally became a police officer in 2017.
The sheriff’s office told Action News Jax that this is the 7th JSO employee to be arrested and 3rd officer in 2020.