Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office Arrests Two Deputies For Official Misconduct (26-083)
PINELLAS COUNTY- Sheriff Bob Gualtieri held a press conference on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, to discuss the arrest of two deputies after two separate and unrelated misconduct incidents.
The first investigation Sheriff addressed started on August 26, 2026, when a juvenile female victim made an online complaint against Deputy Travis Stanton. Stanton went to the victim’s place of employment at least nine times from July 28, 2026, to September 17, 2026, where he spoke to her regarding her suspended license and other miscellaneous topics. He ran the victim and the victim’s family through multiple databases to find out more information about them. Through interviews, it was learned that Stanton was interested in the victim in a romantic way and called her his “queen” even though the attention was not reciprocated. Stanton resigned while under investigation from the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office. Stanton was taken into custody today and charged with One Count of Access Computer Electronic Device Without Authority and One Count of Official Misconduct.
The second investigation Sheriff addressed started on August 20, 2026, when the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office received a media inquiry. As a result, research found misuse within the ALPR system audits where it showed Deputy Karl Gwynne was unlawfully accessing multiple Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office and state databases to obtain information on a female he was interested in dating. Gwynne ran queries regarding the female 381 times in five different law enforcement databases between January 2025 and July 2026. Gwynne also let the female and her mother stay in a condo he owns in 2025, bought her gifts, and said he wanted to date her while she continued to reject his advances while stating she just wanted to be friends. Gwynne resigned from the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office on the day he was questioned about the misuse. Gwynne was taken into custody today and charged with Four Counts of Access Computer Electronic Device Without Authority and One Count of Official Misconduct.
Sheriff Gualtieri stated, " they knew they did wrong, especially with a 17-year-old girl. Both of them are clearly wrong "
View the full press conference here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIbSUa34_Eo
Additional Information:
Travis Stanton :(Deputy - Arrested)
Date of Hire: 11/13/2017
Date of Resignation Under Investigation: 09/25/2026
Charges: One Count of Access Computer Electronic Device Without Authority and
One Count of Official Misconduct
Karl Gwynne :(Deputy - Arrested)
Date of Hire: 01/10/2005
Date of Resignation: 09/11/2026
Charges: Four Counts of Access Computer Electronic Device Without Authority and
One Count of Official Misconduct
