JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A federal lawsuit filed this week against the City of Jacksonville, Sheriff T.K. Waters, and a former Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) officer has brought renewed scrutiny to the department’s internal culture and oversight.
The plaintiff, a woman identified as Jane Doe, alleges she was subjected to non-consensual sexual battery during a 2024 traffic stop conducted by then-JSO officer Reginald McKinney. Doe, who was 23 at the time of the incident, is now 25 and seeking accountability through the court system.
According to the complaint, the encounter began around 1 a.m. in the Edgewood neighborhood when McKinney pulled the woman over for a suspended license. The lawsuit alleges that McKinney used his authority to intimidate the woman, turning off his body-worn camera before instructing her to follow him to a secluded location several blocks away.
Once at the isolated site, the suit claims McKinney made sexually suggestive comments, calling the woman “fine” and “hot,” while asking for her phone number and a hug. Fearing for her safety while alone in the dark with an armed officer, the woman complied with the request for a hug. The complaint alleges that McKinney used that moment to intentionally touch her buttocks and groin area without her consent.
McKinney was subsequently arrested and charged with false imprisonment and battery, leading to his resignation from the force. In March 2026, he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor battery, and the felony false imprisonment charge was dropped. He served a sentence of probation that concluded in mid-July.
While Sheriff Waters previously addressed the arrest in 2024, emphasizing that the agency does not “tolerate” illegal conduct by its members, the new lawsuit argues that McKinney’s actions are symptomatic of a deeper, systemic failure within JSO.
Attorney Mary Sherris, representing the plaintiff, has compiled a list of 12 separate incidents involving allegations of sexual harassment, misconduct, and abuse by JSO officers dating back to 2017. Among these is the high-profile case of former officer Alejandro Carmona-Fonseca, who was sentenced to federal prison for sending explicit images to a teenager.
“Stopping one officer from repeating his conduct is one thing, but correcting the behavior—the institutional behavior of JSO—is the bigger picture here,” Sherris said. She contends that the sheriff’s office has failed to implement the necessary training and supervision to protect citizens from such abuses.
The lawsuit seeks to hold the department accountable for what the plaintiff describes as a broad pattern of misconduct. Regarding the legal action, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office issued a statement citing pending litigation as a reason for its inability to comment. McKinney did not respond to requests for comment.
As the litigation proceeds, Sherris emphasized that her client’s primary goal is to ensure that no other young woman faces a similar ordeal. “She wants what happened to her to be taken seriously,” Sherris said.
Disclaimer: This content is auto-generated for informational purposes only. It has been rewritten and paraphrased from the original source.
Source: Read Original News
