The Osceola County Sheriff’s deputy charged with stalking his domestic partner through video surveillance and accused of hitting her remains in jail.
Douglas Ford, 46, a deputy who has worked in the veterans outreach services division, was charged and arrested Tuesday with misdemeanor battery, felony aggravated stalking and domestic violence and 10 counts of video surveillance by accessing a computer system without authority.
Despite his attorney asking for his release on bond during an appearance in front of a judge Wednesday, Ford remains in the Osceola County Jail, pending further order from the court or a judge. Should be he released, he’ll be required to have no contact with the victim. Another hearing is scheduled for Thursday afternoon.
The investigation into Ford goes back to a May 1 altercation in the parking lot the Criminal Justice Academy of Osceola, where the victim works. (The News-Gazette will not name the victim in accordance with Marsy’s Law. The couple has a child together.)
According to the arrest affidavit, the victim said she was riding to the academy with a fellow Lieutenant in his agency vehicle. Ford, driving his agency-issued vehicle reportedly saw her, called her to tell her to pull over.
“Pull over the car now! Or I’m gonna pit the car! Or something like that,” she recalled. (“Pit” is a law enforcement maneuver in which a police vehicle spins out another vehicle it’s pursuing.) Upon arrival, she confirmed the confrontation.
The victim confirmed she received texts of surveillance photos from Ford, both before, which she didn’t perceive as a threat, and after the altercation.
This led to detectives conducting an audit of Ford’s use of the cameras in early June, and searched his and the victim’s phones. Numerous images, along with texts where Ford said he was watching her on the cameras, were found. Detectives said Ford, who’d been using the cameras between July 18, 2023 (the day of his training session on using the cameras) and May 3, 2024, had “no law enforcement purpose to be watching these cameras.”
After the incident, the victim said she moved to an undisclosed location, and shut off GPS tracking on her phone and vehicle when she discovered he was tracking her through those.
A judge signed an arrest warrant Tuesday, leading to Ford’s arrest.
Ford has pled not guilty, waived an arraignment where he’d appear in court to hear the charges filed against him, and awaits a trial date.
