Pinellas sheriff discusses arrest of deputy
A deputy from the Department of Detention and Corrections is accused of assaulting an inmate who was at the hospital. Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri held a press conference to discuss the charges and his termination.
LARGO, Fla. – A corrections officer with the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office has been arrested and fired after he allegedly assaulted an inmate who was being treated at the hospital.
Sheriff Bob Gualtieri held a press conference on Thursday morning to announce the arrest of 66-year-old James Jones, who had about 22 years of experience as a corrections officer.
What they’re saying:
“He was treated like everybody else, he’s charged with a crime, he’s fired, he’s gone,” Gualtieri said. “As we always are, we are forthright and transparent when these things happen. Occasionally they do happen. It’s not a good moment, but when you have the amount of inmates that pass through the jail and the amount of deputies that we have, we’ve had these things happen over time.”
On November 20, 2025, detectives say that inmate George Miller had a medical emergency while in jail, and he was transported to Northside Hospital in St. Pete. Doctors later determined that he needed surgery.
Deputy Jones was assigned to guard George Miller at the hospital on December 1 when he reported to his supervisors that Miller was having a temper tantrum.
A few hours later, a registered nurse who was assigned to care for Miller, told detectives that she heard a shouting match between the two and saw Deputy Jones punch Miller in the chest with a closed fist.
When the nurse went into the hospital room to check on Miller, she told investigators that he had a contusion around his left cheek and a laceration over his eye. He then told her that Deputy Miller “Punched the shit out of me.”
Deputy Jones did not initially report that Miller acted violently towards him, but when asked by his lieutenant about the incident, he claimed that Miller had kicked and struck him.
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Dig deeper:
Gualtieri mentioned that they are still working to figure out if Miller was properly restrained while at the hospital, since there is no video of the incident.
“There is an indication Deputy Jones may not have had Miller properly restrained and at least one hand or leg may have been unrestrained while Miller was under Deputy Jones’ supervision.”
Gualtieri went on to say that Miller has a history of causing problems in jail.
“From the time that Miller entered the jail, he was known as a problematic inmate,” Gualtieri said. “He would often cause problems with staff, he would mouth off to deputies. He taunted other inmates, and overall, he had difficulty with everyone.”
The backstory:
Miller was originally arrested on May 29, 2025 and charged with burglary, felony battery and criminal mischief.Â
Jones worked as a correctional officer with the Florida Department of Corrections from 2004 until 2021, and he has been with Pinellas County since then.
Gualtieri said that Deputy Jones was three years away from retirement. He is charged with one count of battery and was released from jail after posting a $1,000 bond.
The Source: Information for this story was provided by Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri.