JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. – Another Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office employee was arrested over the weekend.
JSO says veteran officer Stephen D. Hicks was accused by a teenager and multiple witnesses of grabbing the teen off an e-bike and throwing him to the ground inside a Jacksonville Beach skate park.
The incident was reported on Saturday, and Hicks, who had left the park by the time officers arrived, turned himself in to the JSO Integrity Unit. He was charged with misdemeanor battery.
The teen suffered minor injuries in the incident, and the teens who had been riding e-bikes in the skate park were reminded of the park rules by officers: E-bikes are not allowed.
According to witnesses, after throwing the teen to the ground, Hicks fell on top of him and then pulled out his police badge and identified himself as an off-duty officer.
Hicks has been with the sheriff’s office for five years and was “administratively reassigned” while the investigation continues.
Hicks was previously involved in a shooting in May 2024 when he fired at a driver who had pulled a gun during a road rage incident and then led officers on a 30-mile chase, according to JSO.
Hicks’ arrest on Saturday marks the fourth JSO employee arrest in 2026, all within a span of three weeks, compared to seven overall in 2025.
The first arrest of the year was on Jan. 2, when JSO said veteran officer Raymond Goethe was arrested in St. Johns County and charged with a DUI.
On Jan. 6, JSO said, former officer Nicholas Hicks was arrested on grand theft and official misconduct charges, both third-degree felonies.
Jose Guerra, a corrections officer with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, was arrested on Jan. 14 in Flagler County, accused of battery and witness tampering, according to police.