Pinellas County Deputies Conduct Wrongful Felony Stop on Father and Daughter

The full story

On January 1, 2024, Jason Frederico and his 16-year-old daughter were driving home in Pinellas County, Florida, when they were suddenly surrounded by deputies from the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office. The officers conducted a 'felony stop,' drawing their weapons and ordering the occupants out of the vehicle. During the encounter, Frederico repeatedly informed the officers that his daughter suffered from epilepsy, yet both were handcuffed and detained. The aggressive nature of the stop was later revealed to be the result of a clerical error; a deputy had mistyped a license plate number, leading the system to flag the vehicle as stolen from New Mexico. Once the error was identified, the deputies released the pair. During the interaction, bodycam footage captured an officer making dismissive comments to the family, including telling them to 'get over yourself' and asking, 'Did I stutter?' In May 2024, the family’s attorney, T.J. Grimaldi, released the footage to the public and announced that the family intended to file a lawsuit against the department for the trauma caused by the incident. Frederico has stated that both he and his daughter have sought therapy to address the emotional impact of the encounter.