Former Gadsden County deputy sentenced for false statement

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) - Former Gadsden County Sheriff’s Office deputy Joseph Barnes, Jr., will be serving 10 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to giving a false statement to a federal officer, according to a press release by the U.S. Department of Justice.

“Criminal conduct by those sworn to uphold the law represents the greatest and most harmful betrayal of public trust,” said U.S. Attorney Jason R. Coody. “Moreover, such illegal conduct erodes the public’s trust in the legions of brave men and women who faithfully honor their oaths and place their lives on the line each day to keep our communities safe.”

Barnes, a 54-year-old Chattahoochee native, was questioned by the FBI, where, according to the release, he “made multiple false statements regarding his awareness of [local] drug trafficking activity and his efforts to facilitate the criminal conduct.”

Covertly captured video appears to show “Barnes physically examining [a] drug trafficker’s vehicle to determine if law enforcement had attached a GPS tracking device prior to the vehicle’s use to transport illegal drugs.”

The release describes other footage where Barnes seems to be using his K-9 to determine if dogs could be used to find the drugs hidden in the vehicle’s hidden compartment. Once the K-9 unit found the drugs, Barnes is said to have given “the trafficker advice on how to evade law enforcement detection in the future.”

Once he was arrested, Barnes was fired by the Gadsden County Sheriff’s Office.

Barnes was identified during an investigation by the Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), a joint federal, state and local effort that targets drug trafficking organizations.