A member of Hillsborough Sheriff Chad Chronister’s command staff has been barred from all of the agency’s facilities, according to an internal email obtained Tuesday evening by the Tampa Bay Times.
Maj. Troy Morgan “is restricted from entering all HCSO facilities,” states the email, which was sent to everyone at the agency from an assistant to one of Chronister’s chief deputies. The restriction is “effective immediately.”
The one-sentence email does not provide the reason for the restriction.
Morgan’s biography page on the sheriff’s office’s website has been deleted.
As of 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, the sheriff’s office had not responded to inquiries from the Times sent Tuesday night and early Wednesday seeking more information.
A voicemail left Wednesday morning at a number for Morgan was not immediately returned.
Chronister promoted Morgan to the rank of major in February, according to his LinkedIn page and a sheriff’s office Facebook post from that month.
In that role, Morgan is commander of the Traffic Services Division, which includes DUI deputies, traffic crash investigators, the motor unit, the drug interdiction unit and all camera enforcement programs, among other areas of the office.
The promotion came in the wake of a shake-up of Chronister’s command staff stemming from an internal investigation into academic dishonesty. The ensuing scandal led to four resignations and two firings. Among those to depart were one of Chronister’s chief deputies, two colonels and two captains.
Morgan joined the office in 1994 as a reserve deputy and was hired full time in 1995. He has served in a range of assignments, including patrol deputy, DUI enforcement, street crimes and robbery and homicide detective, according to a version of his official bio page saved by the Internet Archive in early March.
Morgan has been recognized as a Mothers Against Drunk Driving Florida Deputy of the Year and given “numerous commendations recognizing his dedication and service throughout his career,” the bio page said.
Morgan’s barring from sheriff’s office facilities comes after the agency has seen a spate of deputies arrested for alleged off-duty misconduct.
Last month, three deputies were arrested within a one-week span on domestic violence charges. In one of the cases, the deputy put a gun to a woman’s head and into her mouth while threatening to kill her, arrest reports state. In another, the victim was taken to a hospital with injuries.
On Tuesday, another deputy was arrested on stalking and other charges after he placed a tracking device on a woman’s SUV because he thought the woman, who is also a deputy, was cheating on him, according to authorities and court documents.
This is a developing story. Stay with tampabay.com for updates.
