- Sgt. Jason Stickels, a 22-year veteran, was arrested for assaulting an elderly couple at a beach bar while off-duty and intoxicated.
- The incident occurred on July 6, when Stickels attempted to kiss a woman and then assaulted her husband.
- Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood condemned Stickels' actions on social media, calling for his termination and praising a bystander who intervened.
NEW SMYRNA BEACH, FLORIDA — Just over a month after a Miami-area family was found dead inside their Doral home in one of South Florida's most disturbing cases of the year, Florida is in the headlines again — this time over a law enforcement officer who used his July 4 holiday weekend to get drunk and assault two senior citizens at a beach bar. The surveillance footage is now out, and his own sheriff was the first one to call for his job.
How It Started
At around 4:20 p.m. on Monday, July 6, officers with the New Smyrna Beach Police Department responded to a report of a fight at Merk's Bar and Grill in New Smyrna Beach. What they found was a 22-year veteran of the Volusia County Sheriff's Office, off-duty and intoxicated, who had just assaulted two people old enough to be his parents.
Surveillance footage released by the Volusia Sheriff's Office shows Sgt. Jason Stickels, 44, standing near a couple seated at a bar table. He talks at them for nearly a minute while their backs are to him. Then he leans in close to the woman.
According to a charging affidavit, the woman told police Stickels had tried to kiss her. She backed away and stood up from her chair.
Stickels then battered her.
When her 77-year-old husband stood up to intervene and protect his wife, Stickels turned on him too.
A Bystander Did What the Sergeant Couldn't — Show Restraint
Within seconds of Stickels attacking the elderly husband, a bystander at the bar stepped in. The man wrapped his arms around Stickels in a chokehold and took him to the ground, holding him there until police arrived and took him into custody.
No injuries were reported from either victim despite the battery charges. Officers arrested Stickels and booked him on two felony counts of battery on a person 65 years of age or older.
He was not arrested by a colleague. The New Smyrna Beach Police Department — an entirely separate agency — handled the arrest.
His Own Sheriff Called Him Out Immediately
Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood did not wait for a formal investigation before speaking up. Within hours of the arrest, he posted directly on social media.
"How to throw away your law enforcement career in 2 minutes," Chitwood wrote. "Off duty, stumbling drunk, harassing people who are just trying to enjoy their afternoon."
He made his position on Stickels' future at the agency crystal clear: "I apologize for this soon-to-be former Volusia Sheriff's Office sergeant's idiotic behavior today."
Chitwood also addressed the couple directly. "To the couple involved, please let me buy your next lunch at Merk's," he wrote.
And then he turned his attention to the man who stepped in. "I would also like to invite the good citizen who stepped in and refused to be a bystander," Chitwood said. "Nice takedown."
22 Years on the Job. Gone in Two Minutes.
Stickels has been employed by the Volusia Sheriff's Office since 2004. He was immediately placed on administrative leave following his arrest and ordered to surrender all of his law enforcement equipment. The agency has said the disciplinary process is ongoing, with termination among the possible outcomes.
The investigation into the incident remains active, and the New Smyrna Beach Police Department is leading the case. No court date has been announced.
For the elderly couple who were simply at a beach bar on a Monday afternoon, none of that timeline matters much. They were there to have lunch. A police sergeant decided their afternoon was going to go differently.
A stranger with a chokehold had the final say.
To view more cases of police corruption and shocking misconduct caught on camera, check out our video here:
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