Pinellas sheriff fires deputy, calls him an "idiot"

LARGO (FOX 13) - Pinellas Sheriff Bob Gualtieri announced the firing of a longtime deputy Monday. 

Deputy Brian Britt was fired for having inappropriate contact with a woman he arrested back in December on a domestic battery charge.  She was an 18-year-old stripper.

“He stated, 'I’m an idiot.' I agree he is an idiot for doing this,” Gualtieri said.

The sheriff says Britt began flirting with her within minutes of her arrest. They would exchange texts after she got out of jail and at one point he invited her and a friend to his home in Pasco county to hang out and talk.  He did, however, agree to pay them both $100 to come. The sheriff says he wanted sex.

“There’s no doubt, absolutely, that’s what he's trying to do,” Gualtieri said.

The sheriff said it was even worse because his 11-year-old daughter was in the bedroom while this was going on.

Britt does have a few prior personnel issues.  In 2006, he was found to be watching porn on his work laptop.  And in 2008, he was disciplined for flexing his chest at a female juror in court. 

"The whole thing is a egregious and shows a lack of character lack of character," the sheriff said Monday.