Two former Pinellas County sheriff’s deputies were arrested yesterday after separate internal investigations revealed they unlawfully accessed law enforcement databases to track women, authorities said.
Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri announced the charges during a press conference Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026, following internal investigations handled by the department.
Deputy accused of repeatedly visiting teen’s workplace
Travis Stanton was charged with one count of access computer electronic device without authority and one count of official misconduct, police said. Karl Gwynne was charged with four counts of access computer electronic device without authority and one count of official misconduct, according to authorities.
Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri condemned the former deputies’ actions during the briefing.
“They knew they did wrong, especially with a 17-year-old girl,” Gualtieri said. “Both of them are clearly wrong.”
The investigation into Stanton began Aug. 26, 2026, when a juvenile female victim submitted an online complaint, according to the sheriff’s office. Investigators determined Stanton visited the 17-year-old victim’s place of employment at least nine times between July 28, 2026, and Sept. 17, 2026, speaking with her about her suspended license and other topics while calling her his “queen.”
Stanton ran the victim and her family members through multiple databases despite his romantic interest not being reciprocated, officials said.
Hired on Nov. 13, 2017, Stanton resigned Sept. 25, 2026, while under investigation by the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office.
Former deputy accused of hundreds of database searches
The inquiry into Gwynne began Aug. 20, 2026, after the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office received a media inquiry that prompted an audit of the Automated License Plate Recognition system, officials said. Audits showed Gwynne ran queries regarding a woman 381 times across five law enforcement databases between January 2025 and July 2026.
Gwynne allowed the woman and her mother to stay in a condo he owned in 2025, bought her gifts and stated he wanted to date her, deputies said. The woman repeatedly rejected his advances and stated she only wanted to be friends.
Gwynne resigned Sept. 11, 2026, on the day investigators questioned him regarding the database misuse.
Both former deputies have since bonded out of jail.
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