PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. – A Putnam County Sheriff’s Office bailiff was arrested at work Tuesday on two out-of-state felony warrants from Georgia accusing him of forging a check, the sheriff’s office said.
Warren Zapata, 34, was wanted on warrants issued by the Perry Police Department in connection with a check scam involving the Georgia National Fairgrounds that dates to August 2025 in Perry, Ga., the sheriff’s office said.
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Perry investigators interviewed Zapata in February, but the sheriff’s office said he did not disclose that he was a law enforcement officer or tell supervisors he was involved in a criminal investigation. A warrant was issued in March, and the sheriff’s office said it was not notified at that time.
A third party later informed PCSO about the warrant, and detectives contacted the Perry Police Department. Upon learning of the warrant, detectives arrested Zapata at his workplace, the sheriff’s office said.
“I am beyond disgusted at the moral turpitude of this now former employee,” Sheriff H.D. “Gator” DeLoach said in a statement. “He knew he was being investigated and at no time did he inform his supervisors about this situation, nor did he assist in the investigation by Georgia. It is my understanding he is claiming to be a victim, but I find that as less than a credible statement on his part due to his inactions in helping another law enforcement agency find the supposed true perpetrator of the crime. Therefore he can face the accusations in Georgia and without being unencumbered with a job here.”
Zapata was hired by the PCSO in 2018 and, the agency said, had no prior disciplinary actions. His employment has been terminated because of the felony arrest.
He was taken to the Putnam County Jail and is being held without bond, the sheriff’s office said. The investigation is being conducted by the Perry Police Department.