The e-mails referred to one of the highest-ranking officers at the Hernando County Sheriff's Office as "racist." They alleged discriminatory treatment against some of the deputies. They were supposedly coming from Sgt. George Smith.
However, the e-mails were all the work of an online thief, according to the Sheriff's Office.
Former deputy Harold Morales, who was fired in October during his probationary period, has been charged with seven felony counts of identity theft after being accused of using a former supervisor's e-mail address to send out the e-mails.
The motive "appears to be revenge," said Sgt. Donna Black, a spokeswoman for the Sheriff's Office. "It's not an issue of what he said as much as the identity theft."
Morales, 41, of Spring Hill, was arrested Monday and later booked into the Hernando County jail, according to the Sheriff's Office. It wasn't immediately clear if Morales remained in custody Monday evening.
A message left with an unidentified woman at Morales' home wasn't returned.
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