Corrections officer arrested for allegedly assaulting inmate being treated at hospital

Detention deputy accused of assaulting inmate

A corrections officer with the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office has been arrested and fired after he allegedly assaulted an inmate who was being treated at the hospital. FOX 13's Kailey Tracy reports.

LARGO, Fla. - A corrections officer with the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office has been arrested and fired after he allegedly assaulted an inmate who was being treated at the hospital.

Sheriff Bob Gualtieri held a press conference on Thursday morning to announce the arrest of 66-year-old James Jones, who had about 22 years of experience as a corrections officer.

Courtesy: Pinellas County Sheriff's Office.

What they're saying:

"He was treated like everybody else, he’s charged with a crime, he’s fired, he’s gone," Gualtieri said. "As we always are, we are forthright and transparent when these things happen. Occasionally they do happen. It’s not a good moment, but when you have the amount of inmates that pass through the jail and the amount of deputies that we have, we’ve had these things happen over time."

On November 20, 2025, detectives say that inmate, 56-year-old George Miller, had a medical emergency while in jail, and he was transported to Northside Hospital in St. Pete. Doctors later determined that he needed surgery.

The St. Petersburg Police Department arrested Miller in May 2025 for felony battery, criminal mischief to a place of worship and burglary of an occupied dwelling. He hadn’t been able to make bail and had been held in jail since. 

Jones was assigned to guard Miller at the hospital on December 1, per policy when an inmate is transferred from the jail to the hospital. Jones reported to his supervisors that Miller was throwing a "temper tantrum."

A few hours later, a registered nurse who was assigned to care for Miller, said that she heard a shouting match between the two and saw Jones punch Miller in the chest with a closed fist. Gualtieri said she described it as a "slam-dunk" punch in the chest. 

When the nurse went into the hospital room to check on Miller, she told investigators that he had a contusion around his left cheek and a laceration over his eye. He then told her that the deputy "Punched the s*** out of me." She reported the incident to her supervision, who notified the Sheriff’s Office. 

"There was simply no lawful reason for Deputy Jones to strike Miller, and in doing so he committed a crime. He committed a battery. Deputy Jones didn't act as a deputy sheriff should act, he didn't act professionally and just handle the situation. He lost his temper and he split open Miller's eye, punched him in the chest and split open his eye, and he has to be accountable for that," Gualtieri said.

Jones did not initially report that Miller acted violently towards him, but when asked by his lieutenant about the incident, he claimed that Miller had kicked and struck him. Gualtieri said the evidence is contrary to what Jones told his lieutenant. 

READ: Mother charged with murder, accused of suffocating 4-year-old son: St. Pete Police

Dig deeper:

Gualtieri mentioned that they are still working to figure out if Miller was properly restrained while at the hospital, since there is no video of the incident.

"There is an indication Deputy Jones may not have had Miller properly restrained and at least one hand or leg may have been unrestrained while Miller was under Deputy Jones’ supervision," the sheriff said.

Gualtieri went on to say that Miller has a history of causing problems in jail.

"From the time that Miller entered the jail, he was known as a problematic inmate," Gualtieri said. "He would often cause problems with staff, he would mouth off to deputies. He taunted other inmates, and overall, he had difficulty with everyone."

"Inmates mouth off. Ok, so … I mean, you know, go figure. What, that's something new and novel? You got mouthy inmates. We got 3,200 of them sitting out there. So, you know, he just needs to be professional and handle it," Gualtieri said. 

The backstory:

Jones worked as a correctional officer with the Florida Department of Corrections from 2004 until 2021, and he has been with Pinellas County since then.

Gualtieri said that Jones was three years away from retirement. He is charged with one count of battery and was released from jail after posting a $1,000 bond.