MARTIN COUNTY, Fla. — The Martin County Sheriff's Office arrested one of its deputies on Thursday, who is accused of perjury and tampering with evidence.
Sheriff John Budensiek identified the deputy as Justin Lee, who had been with the agency since May 2022.
WATCH BELOW: Deputy arrested, accused of making unauthorized drug arrests
Lee faces charges of making a false statement under oath in an official proceeding and tampering with evidence.
Budensiek said the deputy was contacting prostitutes through "nefarious websites" and asking them to bring drugs to a precise location, later pulling them over and arresting them.
The sheriff said his agency was unaware of the undercover operations that Lee was running.
According to a probable cause affidavit, an internal affairs investigation was launched on Oct. 20 to look into Lee's narcotic-related arrests.
WATCH BELOW: Martin County sheriff announces arrest of deputy
"Part of that investigation was interviewing some of these defendants, most of (whom) were prostitutes, (whom) Deputy Lee had arrested for drugs," Budensiek said. "And in those interviews, our detectives ... learned from multiple females that the girls had been on prostitution websites and had been solicited by Deputy Lee."
The sheriff said that his agency does sanction operations through the Internet where they arrest "prostitutes and perverts" regularly. However, the sheriff said there's a protocol to do that legally.
"We don't allow road patrol deputies in the middle of the night by themselves with no supervision to go out and do this," Budensiek said.
The sheriff said the woman provided text messages and screenshots of their interaction with Lee.
Lee claimed that before he stopped the vehicle that the prostitutes were riding in, he had never communicated with them by phone or text. During the investigation, Lee is accused of trying to hide evidence.
Investigators said when Lee asked about the success of his felony arrests during traffic stops, the deputy lied and attributed it to good policing.
"Deputy Lee took his phone and replaced it, tried to wipe his phone, ... searched multiple times how to get rid of the information on your phone," Budensiek said. "The girls who were arrested were prostitutes. They were drug addicts. ... Where (Lee) was wrong is that he didn't do it through our proper policies and procedures."
Budensiek said Lee has been fired from his job following the arrest.
The sheriff's office said about 50 cases are at risk of being thrown out because of Lee's actions.
Budensiek said that Lee wanted to be in the narcotics division and had recently been granted a position, but had not yet been transferred.
Lee posted a $30,000 bond and has been released from custody.
This is the second Treasure Coast deputy to be arrested this week. Deputy Sam Earman, a 10-year deputy with the Indian River County Sheriff's Office, was arrested Monday on stalking charges.
