Photo: CBS 12
A former Florida sheriff and Trump appointee to the Department of Homeland Security faces possible legal and political troubles.
Prosecutors and law enforcement have found evidence that former St. Lucie County Sheriff Keith Pearson or his son fabricated a Facebook account to falsely depict his 2024 Republican primary opponent as racist.
A Facebook message appearing to be from Richard Del Toro includes a derogatory word.
The State Attorney's Office has issued a subpoena for Facebook records. Pearson is trying to suppress the subpoena, claiming it violates his privacy rights and claims the investigation against him is a conflict of interest because the state attorney openly endorsed his opponent.
After losing the primary to Del Toro, who went on to win the general election, Pearson was appointed by President Trump to be Senior Counselor for State and Local Law Enforcement at DHS.
Click Here for more on this story.