JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Jacksonville sheriff’s officer was arrested last week after police said he took and later threw away a woman’s purse.

JSO Director of Investigations and Homeland Security Mark Romano said on March 20, a woman that officer Shane Metz arrested on San Jose Boulevard on Dec. 17, 2024 reported she didn’t receive her purse when she was released.

Metz did not submit the purse as her personal property when she entered the jail, Romano said. Romano said investigators learned that Metz discarded the purse at an apartment complex dumpster after the victim’s arrest.

“Metz was seen, on his body worn camera footage, searching the handbag and then placing the handbag (with the personal property still inside of it) into his police vehicle prior to transporting the victim to the jail,” the report said.

The sheriff’s office arrested Metz on one count of misdemeanor petty theft on March 27. He resigned after the arrest.

He had been employed by the agency for two years and seven months, according to Romano.

“If investigators find that there is probable cause to support a criminal allegation of a JSO employee after a comprehensive investigation, this agency will hold that employee accountable,” Romano said.

This is the fourth arrest of a JSO employee by the agency in 2025.