Overview
- Investigators say an off-duty Volusia Sheriff’s Office sergeant allegedly struck a 71-year-old woman and then her 77-year-old husband during an incident at Merk’s Bar & Grill, and a bystander subdued the suspect with no injuries reported.
- New Smyrna Beach police arrested Sgt. Jason Stickels and he has been charged with two counts of felony battery on a person 65 years of age or older.
- Officials cite surveillance video and witness statements as the basis for the criminal charges against Stickels.
- The Volusia Sheriff's Office placed Stickels on administrative leave, collected his law enforcement equipment, and said final discipline up to and including termination will be decided after the ongoing reviews.
- Under Florida law battery on someone 65 or older is an enhanced felony so the case will move through criminal prosecution and an internal probe that could shape local accountability and departmental consequences.