In under three hours of deliberations, a jury vindicated Clay County's ousted sheriff of all charges filed in a sex scandal that included ordering deputies to arrest his mistress for stalking.
It followed three days of exhaustive testimony into Darryl Daniels' case, and the embattled ex-lawman smiled, shook hands and lightly embraced his defense team afterward. He had faced a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison if convicted on all counts.
Earlier Thursday, Daniels' attorney had unsuccessfully moved for his acquittal on charges of destroying evidence, knowingly giving false information to deputies and false reporting to law enforcement.
Read the rest of this story at WJCT News partner The Florida Times-Union.