PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. — A former deputy clerk in Putnam County is facing 17 felony charges of obstructing a criminal investigation after the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office said she released highly confidential information to drug traffickers through Snapchat.
The sheriff’s office said investigations have led them to believe that 33-year-old Jabaria Cartos sent arrest warrants to suspects, compromising dozens of cases.
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“So far, detectives have identified between 60 and 80 separate criminal investigations in which Cartos is believed to have unlawfully accessed and shared confidential law enforcement information,” Putnam County Sheriff Gator DeLoach said Friday. “Every one of these cases is now being individually reviewed through audit logs, digital forensic evidence, communications, and witness interviews to determine exactly what information was accessed, who received it, and what criminal violations occurred.”
DeLoach said the sheriff’s office discovered this breach after several suspects had been tipped off about their arrests ahead of a coordinated operation targeting approximately 20 drug dealers on June 9.
Shortly after, the sheriff’s office said detectives discovered a Snapchat screenshot clearly displaying arrest warrant information. In one exchange, DeLoach said after sending approximately 20 screenshots related to the operation, she wrote, “I get to keep the hood informed,” followed by a laughing face emoji.
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“This was not a careless mistake, it was not poor judgment — It was a deliberate betrayal of the public’s trust,” DeLoach said. “The confidential information Cartos unlawfully accessed and shared warned known drug traffickers that law enforcement was coming. Those warnings gave criminals an opportunity to destroy evidence, flee, alter their behavior, coordinate with others, or prepare to confront deputies attempting to lawfully arrest them.”
DeLoach said this breach placed sworn law enforcement officers in grave danger.
“When my SWAT team approaches the residence, believing they have the element of surprise, but the suspect already knows they’re coming, the rules change,” DeLoach said. “Every doorway becomes more dangerous, every traffic stop becomes more unpredictable and every warrant service carries greater risk.”
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Putnam County Clerk of Courts Matt Reynolds said that Cartos had no criminal history and has been working as a deputy clerk for about a year.
“We terminated employment and immediately revoked all access to confidential information in order to stop the flow of that information going outside of the office,” Reynolds said. “Her actions put the men and women of law enforcement directly in harm’s way, which could have resulted in an officer losing their life.”
Reynolds said she not only betrayed him and the rest of her former co-workers, but most importantly, Cartos has betrayed the public.
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“She now faces the full force of the justice system that she once worked to support,” Reynolds said. “Only this time she will be a defendant facing dozens of felony charges, and I hope that she receives the maximum punishment that the law allows.”
DeLoach said the sheriff’s office is still investigating Cartos’ relationship to the suspects she released information to, and if this could be considered organized crime. When asked if he believes Cartos could’ve been getting paid, he said it’s “certainly a possibility,” and that he hopes the investigation will disclose additional details.
The sheriff’s office said Cartos is out of custody on a $200,000 bond.
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