JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The off-duty officer with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office who was recorded on surveillance video last month slamming a teen at a Jacksonville Beach skate park is scheduled to appear before a judge Tuesday morning.
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Stephen Hicks, 34, was charged with misdemeanor battery after he was seen on video slamming a teen to the ground who was riding an electric bicycle inside the Sunshine Skate Park.
Riding an electric bicycle inside the skate park is a violation of a park rule, but attorney Shannon Schott, who is representing the family of the victim, believes Hicks went too far when he confronted the teen.
And now, Schott said the teen and his family have been harassed and threatened by online commenters.
Social media threats
Schott filed a motion to have the teen’s name redacted from Hicks’ arrest report, saying threats against the family had followed public comments made by Hicks’ attorney, which she says incorrectly described the vehicle the teen was riding at the time as a motorcycle.
According to Hicks’ arrest report, the teen was operating an electric bicycle.
Riding a motorcycle inside a skate park is illegal, so Schott alleges that the comments to the media by Hicks’ defense attorney, Phillip Vogelsang, implied criminal wrongdoing by her client and were then widely disseminated by multiple news outlets, including News4JAX.
According to Schott’s 11-page motion, Vogelsang’s incorrect statement led to several specific posts on social media and news websites that were deemed threatening and harassing toward the victim and his parents.
Statements that, according to Schott, encourage retaliation and vigilantism.
The motion states the victim and his family now have a reasonable fear of physical harm, retaliation by members of the public and law enforcement, harassment, and stalking.
Vogelsang argued that the vehicle the teen was riding in the skate park was capable of hitting speeds of 50 mph, that the teen was acting dangerously on the two-wheel electric vehicle, and that Hicks acted to protect public safety at the skate park.
How it all began
The case against Hicks began last month when surveillance cameras inside Sunshine Skate Park recorded Hicks confronting and slamming the teen to the ground.
According to Hicks’ arrest report, multiple people had asked the teen to leave because he was riding an E-bike inside the skate park, which was against park rules.
The report states that the teen was making his way out of the skate park while still on the bike when Hicks grabbed him by the arm, pulled him off the bicycle and slammed him to the ground.
According to the arrest report, Hicks stood over the teen and told bystanders that “he was a JSO detective dealing with a criminal issue.”
Hicks left the park before Jacksonville Beach police arrived, but left his name and JSO badge number with a witness. Hicks later surrendered himself to the JSO Integrity Unit.
Officer’s history
Over four years, Hicks has faced eight internal investigations while working for JSO, seven of which were sustained.
News4JAX has been digging into Hicks’ work history and requested the findings of two of the most serious investigations.
We are waiting to receive those records.
Hicks has been administratively reassigned by JSO while the Jacksonville Beach investigation continues.
Vogelsang declined a request from News4JAX for an interview about his previous statements. He and Hicks are set to appear in court at 9 a.m. Tuesday on the misdemeanor charge.