The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office has confirmed that one of its deputies has been arrested.
Jason Nebergall, the PBSO deputy accused of sexual crimes, appeared in court this morning at 9 a.m. He was booked into jail by PBSO deputies around 4:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Nebergall, 38, is facing charges of sexual battery on a person 18 or older from an incident on July 21. Florida statute 794.011 defines sexual battery as oral, anal or vaginal penetration that is non-consensual.
At his first appearance in court Thursday morning a judge set bond at $50,000 on each of two counts.
Records state that judge Caroline Shepherd has ordered that Nebergall surrender any weapons and firearms to PBSO through his attorney and that he not have any contact with anyone under the age of 18.
Nebergall was hired by PBSO in Nov. 2007. Voter records show he lives in Lake Worth.
According to a document in the PBSO budget proposal for 2015-2016, Nebergall won a Combat Action Medal in 2014. The medal is awarded to deputies who took part in "hostile action or action during which "they were under fire, or threat of harm, and their performance while under this condition was exemplary and with a brave spirit".
His attorney, John Cleary, told WPTV that Nebergall is a member the U.S. Air Force Reserve.
"He would have active duty this weekend for this month. We were working on getting him out on bond and defend the case... but that's pretty much all I can say right now," Cleary said in an interview Thursday morning.
After an extensive search through public records, WPTV found that Nebergall is the son of Carl Nebergall, a retired PBSO deputy who served with the department for nearly 30 years.
The sheriff's office released the following statement:
The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office holds its employees to the highest standards and never forgets about its duty to preserve the public’s trust. Unfortunately sometimes an employee makes a bad decision which leads to misconduct. This misconduct was reported, investigated and subsequently determined to be criminal in nature, resulting in the charges.
The Sheriff’s Office will remain vigilant to insure that our efforts are professional and meet the high standards that the public has come to expect.
Nebergall is on paid administrative leave until further notice. PBSO spokeswoman, Teri Barbera, confirmed his leave would soon transition to unpaid.
Nebergall is scheduled to be arraigned on Dec. 20 at 1:30 p.m. by Judge Joseph Marx.