CLAY COUNTY, Fla. – Bond was denied Thursday morning for the former Jacksonville Sheriff’s Officer who was arrested in connection to a sex crime investigation involving a teenage girl, one of the incidents allegedly taking place at the victim’s church.
Josue Garriga, 34, was hired by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office in 2018, and before that, he worked as a Putnam County K9 officer.
A JSO body-worn police video of a September 2023 foot chase in a Jacksonville neighborhood, shows the voice of Garriga telling 24-year-old Le’Keian Woods to stop fighting, following attempts to escape as police conducted a traffic stop.
“Give me the hand, give me the hand,” Garriga said during the incident. “He’s still fighting, give me the hand, give me the [expletive] hand.”
Garriga and the other officers involved were ultimately cleared of using excessive force by the Department of Justice.
The investigation into Garriga then pales in comparison to the felony charges he faces now.
Garriga is facing several charges including unlawful sexual action with a minor, lewd and lascivious touching, and the transmission of harmful material to a minor.
“Mr. Garriga, this is an arrest warrant I personally reviewed yesterday, and we did find probable cause on all five counts,” the judge said to Garriga Thursday morning during his first appearance in court.
According to Clay County deputies, the mother of a 17-year-old girl contacted authorities, after she found flirtatious and inappropriate communications between Garriga and her daughter.
A forensic download of the victim’s phone revealed 350 phone calls or FaceTime video calls.
Garriga is also accused of sending the 17-year-old nude photos of himself.
According to the investigators, the victim told them she was sexually assaulted in a vehicle, that appears to be consistent with that of an agency-issued police vehicle.
Garriga’s lawyer asked the judge Thursday to consider setting a bond.
“He does have two children he has to care for. He’s married. He is the breadwinner and employed, and they do have a 10-year-old daughter, with special needs who requires around-the-clock care,” Attorney D. Scott Monroe said.
News4JAX learned Garriga has been involved in several high-profile incidents, including the fatal shooting of Jamee Johnson who attempted to elude arrest during a traffic stop.
Johnson drove off, dragging Garriga with his car across the street, and then police said he reached for a gun in the front seat.
Garriga shot into the car, killing Johnson. The shooting was ruled justified.
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In a separate News4JAX I-TEAM investigation into racially insensitive social media posts made by a JSO gang unit sergeant, it was revealed Garriga made the following statements about Jamee Johnson in an internal text thread:
“The NFL recognizes Jamee Johnson former FAMU student killed during a traffic stop,” the thread reads.
To which Garriga responded:
“Why are they recognizing that clown,” Garriga said. “Goes to show no matter how wrong they are they still want to be recognized just because they are black.”
Garriga was also involved in another fatal shooting while he was a deputy with the PCSO in 2015. According to a news release, PCSO confirmed Garriga was one of four deputies responding to a drug bust.
Andrew Williams was in his car and accelerated toward them, the report said. Four of the deputies fired back at Williams, and he was shot and killed.
A deputy was also hit in the arm.
Garriga is due back in court in April.
Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters requested to sit with News4JAX to share his reaction to Garriga’s arrest. He asked that we not use soundbites from the interview on-air but said we could include it online in its entirety.
Watch the full interview below: