A sheriff’s deputy in Monroe County, Florida, was arrested by her own agency Wednesday and accused of using law enforcement databases to help her 19-year-old boyfriend, an alleged drug dealer, avoid authorities.
Monroe County Sheriff’s Deputy Jennifer Ketcham, 40, is facing 19 computer crime charges after allegedly using her access to the state’s crime information database, as well as its drivers and vehicles information database, to share information with her boyfriend about law enforcement activities and traffic stops, according to an arrest warrant obtained by HuffPost.
Police said in the warrant that Ketcham, who was hired by the agency in June 2021, began an “intimate relationship” with her boyfriend in October 2022, when he was 17 years old. The two lived together until August 2023, police said.
A vehicle from the Monroe County sheriff's department in Florida.
Ketcham also referred to her boyfriend as a drug dealer and said he was running drugs near Homestead, Florida, according to the warrant. Investigation into her alleged misuse of the law enforcement databases began in June after a fellow deputy who was her close friend reported her to internal affairs.
The friend showed detectives evidence of Ketcham’s relationship, and WhatsApp messages in which Ketcham wrote “he’s dealing dope and I can’t be tied into that,” according to the warrant.
Detectives allegedly found at least 19 instances where Ketcham abused her police privileges, including using the database to search for information about someone her boyfriend knew.
Ketcham told detectives in an interview that she has no “concrete” evidence that her boyfriend was involved in any criminal activity, according to the warrant.
When asked if she ever told other deputies to avoid certain areas where her boyfriend allegedly ran drugs, Ketcham said she had, “but only in a joking manner,” per the warrant. She said she had no authority to actually stop anyone from patrolling an area, according to the warrant.
Detectives attached a PDF file containing 11,845 pages of text messages between Ketcham and her boyfriend, which allegedly showed how they worked together.
Multiple text conversations showed instances where Ketcham alerted her boyfriend that police were in his area, according to the warrant. She also allegedly warned him on Sept. 6, 2023, about an upcoming raid at Big Coppitt Key.
The sheriff’s office confirmed in a statement Wednesday that Ketcham has been placed on administrative leave without pay, and her bond was set at $1.9 million.
Ketcham’s case has been received by local prosecutors, but charges have not yet been formally filed. It wasn’t immediately clear if she had a lawyer representing her.
As of Friday, her boyfriend has not been charged with any crime.
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