Florida judge criticizes sheriff's Facebook videos announcing arrest warrants, but doesn't grant silence order during hearing

By Joanna Putman
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FORT PIERCE, Fla. — A Florida judge criticized Sheriff Keith Pearson's social media posts during a hearing regarding a possible silence order on the sheriff's future online content, WPTV reported.

The St. Lucie County Sheriff recently gained attention by posting short videos after catching suspects, often featuring the handcuffed suspect in the video. Videos range from 7,000 to over 200,000 views on Facebook. Some video series are also published on TikTok and on Instagramwhere a video reached 134,000 likes.

The hearing was initiated by attorney Ashley Minton, who represents Michael Dorst, who was featured in Pearson's “Turn Yourself In Tuesday” segment, according to the report. During the segment, Pearson reads the name of a person in the county who has a warrant, the associated charge and the suspect's last known location before encouraging anyone close to the suspect to report information to the sheriff's office.

“If you have an outstanding warrant for your arrest and don't want to become famous on Facebook, contact [the station] and meet you… If you need a taxi, call us,” Pearson said during a “Meet Tuesday” video. “I would be happy to send someone to pick you up.”

The video includes a clip of a cell door closing with the caption “Reserve your spot today.”

Minton argued that these messages compromised Dorst's right to a fair trial, according to the report. She learned of the warrant for Dorst's arrest through social media, expressing surprise because the warrant was not public. She argued the video implied Dorst was evading law enforcement, which she said was false.

Minton requested a silence to prevent the sheriff from commenting on Dorst's case on social media, according to the report.

Although Circuit Judge Michael Heisey did not grant the gag order, he did not rule out the possibility of issuing one in the future, according to the report. Heisey reprimanded the sheriff’s conduct, stating: “[Nowhere] do I see where I'm asking Pearson to make an immature, unprofessional, and downright stupid video about Mr. Dorst.

The sheriff's office's attorney argued he was fulfilling his legal obligation to serve the warrant, according to the report.

“Whether it's reporting arrests live from the scene of a crime, informing the public of active arrest warrants, or highlighting the extraordinary work of the dedicated men and women of the Sheriff's Office of St. Lucie County, this agency's use of social media has proven effective. » said Pearson.