ORANGE PARK, Fla. — A Middleburg man claims Clay County sheriff’s deputies stole thousands of dollars from him during an arrest. That man is now preparing to sue the sheriff’s office and the deputies if they do not pay up.

Willie Davis, Jr. was arrested along Wells Road near Blanding Boulevard in Orange Park on Sept. 15th, 2024. According to a crash report from the incident, a deputy, who First Coast News is not naming at this time, saw Davis hit a black Mercedes in a parking lot and drive away. The deputy then pulled Davis over and checked his truck. The report stated the deputy found fresh black paint on the truck.

The report further stated Davis appeared to be under the influence. He was taken into custody, but refused a breathalyzer test. He was also taken to a hospital to be medically checked following the crash per jail policy and the doctor cleared him for detention.

This case was dismissed over a month later. Dan Faherty, Davis’ attorney, said the dismissal was because the crash never happened.

“An administrative hearing officer found that there was no evidence of a crash, and no crash report and no victim, and that there was no reason to believe that he was impaired or intoxicated in any way,” Faherty said.

Court records show the case was closed on Oct. 29, 2024. First Coast News reached out to the State Attorney’s Office for clarification on why the case was dismissed.

Faherty told a different story from the night of Davis’ arrest. He said his client was at the parking lot off Wells Road, but he was buying food from a food truck. He claimed deputies saw Davis pull out a large amount of cash to pay for the food. Faherty said Davis had a total of $6,900 that night, money reportedly being used to buy and sell parts for a car he was fixing up. 

The crash report does mention the money. It states deputies counted $4,000 the night of the arrest; however, Faherty said only $2,900 made it into Davis’ account at the jail.

“We’re asserting that at least one of the Clay County sheriff’s deputies involved in this stop and arrest took Mr. Davis’s money while at the scene,” Faherty said.

Faherty sent a notice on April 8, 2025 to the Clay County Sheriff’s Office asking for $200,000 in damages for illegally arresting Davis and violating his fourth amendment rights. A civil theft notice was also sent to the two deputies involved in this case on April 17th, 2025 asking for $12,000.

“There was no basis, no reasonable probable cause to arrest him and seize his body, seize his truck, and seize his cash that night. He should have just been able to drive home and be left alone,” Faherty said.

First Coast News reached out to the Clay County Sheriff’s Office for a comment, but a spokesperson said they do not comment on pending litigation.

The sheriff’s office and the deputies now have six months to take action on the notices, or Faherty said they will move forward with a lawsuit.