Pinellas deputy handcuffed girlfriend during argument, Sherrif’s Office says

PALM HARBOR — Pinellas deputy Jared Toro was arrested Thursday after he placed his girlfriend in handcuffs during an argument, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office.

Toro faces one count of domestic battery and another count of false imprisonment, deputies said. He’s 23 and has been with the Sheriff’s Office for 2-and-a-half years.

He has been “relieved of his position and authority as a deputy sheriff,” according to the Sheriff’s Office, and will be placed on administrative reassignment pending the outcome of the criminal case and an internal investigation. Toro was released Thursday from the Pinellas County Jail.

Toro admitted to handcuffing his girlfriend and making her sit on the floor for “several minutes” while her movements were restrained, according to a news release from the Sheriff’s Office.

Toro’s girlfriend had marks on her arms from the incident, deputies said.

The argument began just before 5 p.m. Wednesday as Toro was getting ready for work. His girlfriend confronted him about adultery, deputies said, which instigated an argument that turned physical. That’s when deputies said Toro pinned the woman against a wall and handcuffed her.

Wednesday wasn’t the first time Toro was in trouble with the Sheriff’s Office.

Toro was speeding when he struck and seriously injured a 62-year-old bicyclist in March, records show. The crash led to a 10-day suspension for the deputy, according to WFLA-Channel 8. It led to a lawsuit against the agency.

The man he hit, Steve Greninger, was uninsured and broke several bones, according to reports. Greninger claims in court records that his medical expenses have surpassed $1 million.