Former JSO officer suing two local sheriffs for retaliation

A former Jacksonville Sheriff's Officer is suing two local sheriffs, accusing them of retaliation following a 2017 arrest.

Bryan Turner was one of three officers arrested for tampering with evidence following an officer-involved shooting.

That was after an officer-involved shooting in which Turner pulled the trigger.

RELATED STORY: Police: Suspect shot, killed by officer had replica gun, pointed gun at officers

The charges against all three officers were dropped, but Turner claims the retaliation was just getting started.

The lawsuit claims Turner had planned to run for Nassau County sheriff. According to the complaint, Turner said he learned about conversations in which Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams planned to “take care of Turner,” regarding his career.

Documents also claim that Nassau County Sheriff Bill Leeper refused to replace Turner’s Identification card following his arrest.

Turner claims the retaliation continued. In 2018, he claims to have been denied a retiree requalification by the Sheriff’s Office. We reached out to both the city of Jacksonville and Nassau County for comment on the lawsuit.

We got the following response from a spokesperson from the city of Jacksonville’s Office of General Counsel: "I am not able to answer your question below as it is our policy not to comment on pending litigation."

RELATED STORY: Police union defends Jacksonville detectives accused of evidence tampering after deadly shooting

We also reached out to Turner’s Tallahassee-based attorney and, as of early Tuesday evening, we had not heard back.

TRENDING: 

• Report: Jacksonville man blames anime for molesting girl in church utility closet
• New tenants coming to Regency Square Mall
• Jacksonville Sheriff's Office makes arrest after deadly shooting near school
• Woman finds prehistoric tooth during walk on beach

STAY UPDATED: Download the Action News Jax app for live updates on breaking stories

Cox Media Group