An Alachua County Sheriff’s Office deputy was arrested for stealing $9,900 of evidence Monday morning, Gainesville police said.
Deputy Anthony James Simoneaux, while at the scene of a crime on Northeast 35th Place, hid money in a boot, according to a GPD arrest report. He then put the boot in a wooded area, near the crime scene, police said.
Police found the money during a search of the area that was unrelated to investigating Simoneaux.
Simoneaux has worked for ACSO for nearly twenty years and is currently assigned to the Gainesville and Alachua County Drug Task Force, according to a press release.
ACSO placed Simoneaux on an administrative leave awaiting the outcome of GPD’s criminal investigation, according to the press release. ACSO is also conducting a internal investigation. An ACSO spokesperson did not respond for comment or give Simoneaux’s salary. It is unknown if the administrative leave is paid or unpaid.
Simoneaux was charged with grand theft and taken to the Alachua County Jail where he was released on a $35,000 bond Tuesday.
A GPD officer resigned over a month ago before an internal investigation into his alleged misconduct — making anti-Semitic remarks in Facebook posts from 2011 and 2013 — concluded. The investigation found Officer Michael Hamill committed the violation and also didn’t notify his supervisor when he started working as an Uber driver.
Contact Robert Lewis at rlewis@alligator.org. Follow him on Twitter @Lewis__Robert.
