Just before 6 p.m. on Friday, Citrus County Sheriff's Office detectives arrested a former CCSO crime scene specialist on a warrant for disclosure of confidential information.
Ashley Pate, who has been with CCSO since December of 2007, was terminated from the agency on July 13 after an investigation revealed she had violated five agency policies, the Sheriff's Office said in a statement it released on Friday.
"We will not tolerate any type of criminal activity by our employees – especially anything that jeopardizes the safety of our law enforcement officers or the integrity of what this agency has stood for over the past 131 years," says Sheriff Mike Prendergast.
Pate, 34, of Inverness, is charged with one count of disclosure or use of confidential criminal justice information.
A Sheriff's Office spokesperson said that this is an open and active investigation.