Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office Arrests Deputy For Official Misconduct (26-093)

PINELLAS COUNTY- Sheriff Bob Gualtieri held a press conference on Thursday, November 5, 2026, to discuss the arrest of a Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office deputy after misconduct.

At the press conference, Sheriff Gualtieri explained that over the past month, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office has enhanced our ALPR audits, and the ALPR manufacturers have also enhanced their software audit capabilities to identify suspicious queries and trends that may indicate misuse.

During an ALPR enhanced system audit, it was determined Deputy Ronald Scott was unlawfully accessing the Flock ALPR database, as well as other state databases, to obtain information about his estranged wife, her boyfriend, and other family members. The audit identified over one hundred instances of misuse between February 14, 2026, and June 19, 2026.

Deputy Scott resigned from the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office on November 4, 2026.

On November 5, 2026, Deputy Scott was arrested and charged with Three Counts of Access Computer Electronic Device Without Authority and One Count of Official Misconduct. He was booked into the Pinellas County Jail.

The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office has completed its historical audits using the enhanced auditing capabilities and is confident that this is the last historical case of ALPR system misuse.

Sheriff Gualtieri stated, "As I’ve repeatedly said, this is a people problem, not an ALPR problem. The issue of people with access to confidential databases, misusing those databases for personal reasons has existed forever…we will monitor and take appropriate action when we find misuse.”

View the full press conference here: https://youtu.be/PFDI0o_LuwE

Additional Information:
Ronald Scott (Deputy - Arrested)
Age: 35
Date of Hire: 02/08/2016
Charges: Three Counts of Access Computer Electronic Device Without Authority and One Count of Official Misconduct