Manatee deputy resigns amid retaliation harassment investigation, deputies say
A Manatee County sheriff’s deputy resigned while under criminal investigation after investigators say he used a sheriff’s office database to harass a woman as retaliation.
Matthew Schwartz, 37, faces a third-degree felony charge of harassment by use of personal identification information after investigators say he accessed a sheriff’s office database to obtain a woman’s personal information and used it to flood her with unwanted calls and messages.
Melissa Conway, a spokesperson for the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, told the Bradenton Herald that Schwartz resigned before the agency completed its internal investigation but declined to comment further.
An attorney representing Schwartz also declined to comment when reached by the Bradenton Herald.
According to an arrest report, the woman called the sheriff’s office in January to report an agency SUV that had been parked in her neighborhood for several weeks.
Deputy resigns amid harassment investigation
Investigators say the woman began receiving calls and text messages from home service companies about 10 minutes after making the complaint. The messages came from companies offering services such as painting, pest control and cleaning after someone submitted her information to websites including Angie’s List, according to the report.
An Internal Affairs investigation found Schwartz improperly accessed the woman’s information through the sheriff’s office “Hexagon” records management system, according to the arrest report.
Investigators also reviewed Schwartz’s agency computer and personal cellphone records, which they say showed he accessed Craigslist and Angie’s List around the same time the woman began receiving verification codes and solicitation calls.
During an interview with internal affairs investigators, Schwartz admitted he was upset about the complaint and acknowledged looking up the woman’s information through the sheriff’s office database and Facebook, according to the report.
Investigators say he also admitted to entering her information into Angie’s List, creating an “inappropriate” Craigslist post using her contact information and submitting her information to websites with political views opposing her own. The report does not detail the contents of the Craigslist post.
Investigators say Schwartz also said he considered printing parking statutes and leaving them in the woman’s mailbox.
According to the arrest report, investigators reviewed screenshots of text messages between Schwartz and another person discussing the woman. In one message, investigators say Schwartz wrote: “just pisses me off like they don’t have anything better to do?! Hahaha see that just shows that this lady is stupid.”
Investigators say Schwartz later added: “She’s a liberal too so that could be it dam mental people.”
Schwartz was charged under a Florida law prohibiting the unauthorized use of another person’s identifying information to harass or retaliate. Court records show the charge includes an enhancement because he allegedly used a sheriff’s office records database to commit the offense.
Court records show Schwartz posted a $2,500 cash bond after his arrest and later pleaded not guilty. His arraignment is scheduled for June 12 before Circuit Judge Teri K. Dees.
