A Citrus County Sheriff's Office deputy has been fired and arrested after investigators say he grabbed a Target employee by her necklace and pulled her toward him during an on-duty visit to the Lecanto store. Deputy Troy Taylor was taken into custody on a battery charge stemming from the encounter, which happened around 7 p.m. last Friday at the Target located at 3095 W. Norvell Bryant Hwy, part of The Shoppes at Black Diamond retail center in Lecanto.
According to Tampa Bay 28, Taylor had entered the store while on duty to inform employees of suspicious activity when he instead followed the store employee beyond the customer service counter, asked her for her age, and made inappropriate sexual comments toward her. Witnesses told investigators the employee appeared visibly uncomfortable and walked away, the outlet reported. Taylor then allegedly pulled the employee toward him using the loop on her collar-style necklace.
Additional reporting from the Tampa Free Press indicates the employee initially asked Taylor if he was there to investigate a parking lot crash before the comments and the necklace grab occurred. CCSO was contacted to file a complaint with an on-duty supervisor, and that initial complaint was filed at 10 p.m. the same night, per the Tampa Free Press.
Surveillance Video Backed the Employee's Account
Citrus County detectives returned to the store the next day to pull surveillance footage, and that video — which lacked audio but matched accounts from the employee and witnesses — corroborated the complaint, the Tampa Free Press reported. CCSO said the video evidence supported statements from the victim and witnesses. The Fifth Judicial Circuit State Attorney's Office subsequently issued a warrant for Taylor's arrest.
The state attorney's office, led by elected State Attorney Bill Gladson, prosecutes criminal cases across a five-county circuit covering Citrus, Hernando, Lake, Marion and Sumter counties, with its administrative headquarters in Ocala.
Body Camera Left Off in Violation of Policy
Taylor failed to activate his body-worn camera during the incident, a lapse CCSO says violated agency policy. The omission carries particular weight for Sheriff David Vincent's administration: Vincent launched the department's body-worn camera program for all 115 patrol division personnel on June 30, 2025, fulfilling a campaign promise, according to FOX 13 Tampa Bay. Before that rollout, CCSO patrol deputies had operated without body or dash cameras.
Vincent, sworn in as Citrus County's 13th Sheriff in January 2025 after 27 years with CCSO and four years as chief of police for the Citrus County School District, said he has zero tolerance for people who tarnish the sheriff's office's reputation and the law-enforcement profession. He also said Taylor's actions violated public trust in law enforcement and did not represent the work of the Citrus County Sheriff's Office. Taylor was placed on administrative leave before CCSO terminated him following his arrest.
What Florida Law Says About the Charge
Under Florida Statute 784.03, misdemeanor simple battery is a first-degree misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in county jail, a year of probation, and a $1,000 fine. Florida law distinguishes it from felony battery, which involves severe bodily harm or prior convictions.
Notably, Florida criminal jurisprudence holds that battery does not require physical injury or direct skin-to-skin contact — intentional, non-consensual contact with an item closely attached to a person, such as clothing or jewelry, can satisfy the legal definition, according to Zelman Law. Prosecutors in cases like this must prove intent and lack of consent rather than injury.
Beyond his firing, Taylor faces potential review by the Florida Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission, which under Florida Statute Chapter 943 has authority to suspend or revoke an officer's state law enforcement certification. It remains unclear whether Taylor has any prior disciplinary history within CCSO, the current status of his bond, or how his legal defense will respond to the surveillance video cited by investigators.
