LECANTO, Fla. — A Citrus County sheriff’s deputy was fired and arrested on Thursday, August 20, 2026, after investigators say he grabbed a retail worker by her necklace and made sexual remarks while on duty.

Troy Taylor faces one count of misdemeanor battery under Florida Statute 784.03.

The incident took place around 7 p.m. on August 14 at the Target store in Lecanto. According to the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office, Taylor went inside the store to notify employees about suspicious activity in the surrounding area.

When Taylor walked up to the customer service counter, he began talking to an employee who was wearing a collar-style necklace with a metal loop. The employee asked if he was there to look into a parking lot crash. Investigators said Taylor responded with several sexually suggestive remarks, hooked his finger into the loop of her necklace, and pulled her toward him.

After letting go, Taylor asked the worker her age and continued making inappropriate comments. Witnesses told investigators that the worker looked noticeably uncomfortable and walked away. Taylor briefly followed her past the counter area before walking out of the building.The sheriff’s office received a formal complaint about the encounter at around 10 p.m. that night. Detectives visited the store the next day to pull security footage. While the video lacked audio, authorities confirmed the footage matched the accounts provided by both the employee and witnesses.

Officials noted that Taylor failed to turn on his body-worn camera during the encounter, violating agency policy. The agency immediately opened internal affairs and criminal investigations, placing Taylor on administrative leave.

Following a review by the Fifth Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office, authorities secured an arrest warrant. Deputies took Taylor into custody without incident on August 20. He was fired upon his arrival at the Citrus County Detention Facility.

“It’s hard to properly convey my level of disappointment in Deputy Taylor. His actions violate public trust in law enforcement and do not represent the great work or the men and women here at the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office,” Sheriff David Vincent said in a statement. “I have zero tolerance for those who decide to tarnish the reputation of the Sheriff’s Office and the profession I care deeply about.”