Jacksonville officer charged with domestic battery, ninth JSO employee arrest of 2026

A Jacksonville Sheriff's Office patrol officer has been charged with domestic battery, making him the ninth JSO employee arrested by the agency this year. Sheriff T.K. Waters announced Sept. 30 that Patrol Officer Michael Schrum was arrested on one count of domestic battery, a first-degree misdemeanor, following an internal investigation. The sheriff's office said Schrum was immediately stripped of his police authority and that the agency is seeking to fire him.

The arrest adds to a difficult year for one of Florida's largest law enforcement agencies, which earlier in 2026 arrested several officers in an overtime fraud investigation. Schrum is presumed innocent, and the charge against him has not been proven in court.

What investigators say happened

According to the sheriff's office, the incident occurred on Sept. 16. Investigators say Schrum was intoxicated when he became enraged and struck the victim multiple times, causing visible injuries. The victim is in a domestic relationship with Schrum, the agency said.

The victim reported the incident to the sheriff's office on Tuesday, Sept. 29, nearly two weeks after it allegedly occurred. Detectives arrested Schrum that evening. The Florida Press is not naming the victim.

Schrum had worked for the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office for six years and 10 months before his arrest, according to Action News Jax. JSO said he was immediately relieved of his law enforcement powers, a standard step that removes an officer's authority to make arrests or carry out police duties while the case and an internal process move forward.

Allegations in an injunction petition

News4Jax reported that the victim has filed a petition seeking an injunction for protection against Schrum. The petition contains allegations about his past behavior, including claims of heavy drinking, prior violence and racist remarks, according to the station's review of the document.

According to that reporting, the petition alleges that Schrum made derogatory comments about Black people and other people who are not white, and that he used a racial slur during the September incident. Those claims are allegations made in a civil court filing. They have not been tested in court, and Schrum has not been charged with any crime beyond the single count of domestic battery.

Injunction petitions in Florida are civil cases, separate from criminal prosecution. A judge can issue a temporary injunction based on the sworn petition and then schedule a hearing at which both sides may present evidence before deciding whether to issue a longer-term order. It was not immediately clear whether a judge had ruled on the petition.

A ninth arrest of a JSO employee this year

Waters has made a point of publicly announcing arrests of the agency's own employees, and Schrum's arrest is the ninth arrest of a JSO employee by the agency in 2026. The sheriff has said in past announcements that the agency will not tolerate criminal conduct by its members and will investigate its own personnel.

The most prominent of this year's cases involved overtime fraud. Early in the year, former officer Christian Madsen was arrested and accused of falsely claiming about $14,000 in overtime. That case led to a broader review, and in April, Waters announced the arrests of Sgt. Michael Rourke, Officer Christopher Sosa and former officer Dylan Bostick. The three were charged with grand theft, organized fraud and official misconduct and accused of collecting more than $33,000 combined in overtime pay for traffic enforcement work they did not perform, according to the sheriff's office and local news reports.

Investigators in the overtime cases used cellphone data and radio records to show the officers were not working when they claimed overtime, according to arrest reports cited by News4Jax. The sheriff's office also announced policy changes intended to prevent false overtime claims. Those cases remain pending, and the officers are presumed innocent unless convicted.

Other arrests of JSO personnel this year have involved a range of allegations, and the sheriff's office has generally announced them at news conferences or through public releases. Taken together, the arrests have drawn attention to how the agency screens, supervises and disciplines its workforce of sworn officers and corrections employees.

Domestic violence and law enforcement

Domestic battery under Florida law covers intentionally touching or striking a family or household member against that person's will, or intentionally causing bodily harm. As a first-degree misdemeanor, it carries a maximum penalty of up to one year in jail and a $1,000 fine. A conviction can also carry mandatory conditions, including a batterer's intervention program when a defendant is placed on probation.

For police officers, a domestic violence conviction carries an additional consequence. Federal law prohibits anyone convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence from possessing firearms, and that prohibition applies to law enforcement officers. Because carrying a firearm is a core requirement of police work, a conviction can effectively end an officer's career.

Domestic violence by law enforcement officers has long been a concern for researchers and advocates, who note that victims may hesitate to report abuse by someone who works in the system they would turn to for help. Advocates have said that clear internal investigations, quick removal of police authority and independent review are important to building trust with victims.

Agencies must report certain officer misconduct to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement's Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission, which oversees officer certification. The commission can discipline or revoke the certification of officers found to have committed certain misconduct, separate from any decision by an individual agency.

What happens after a domestic battery arrest

Florida treats domestic violence arrests differently from many other misdemeanor cases. Under state law, a person arrested on a domestic violence charge generally may not be released on bond until a first appearance before a judge, which typically happens within 24 hours. At that hearing, the judge reviews the arrest, sets release conditions and often orders the defendant to have no contact with the alleged victim while the case is pending.

Prosecutors in Florida can pursue domestic violence cases even when a victim later decides not to cooperate, relying on evidence such as photographs of injuries, medical records, witness accounts and statements made at the time of the report. Defendants, in turn, may challenge the evidence, negotiate a plea or take the case to trial before a judge or jury.

Delays between an incident and a report, like the roughly two weeks investigators say passed in this case, are common in domestic violence situations. Victim advocates say fear, financial dependence, concern about children and uncertainty about how a report will be handled can all lead people to wait before coming forward, particularly when the person accused is a police officer.

A sheriff focused on internal accountability

Waters, a longtime JSO officer who took office as sheriff in 2022, leads an agency that handles policing for the consolidated city of Jacksonville and Duval County and also runs the county jail. That structure means JSO employs both sworn police officers and corrections officers, and arrests this year have involved employees on both sides of the agency.

The sheriff has framed the arrests as evidence that the agency investigates its own members and acts when it finds wrongdoing. Publicly announcing employee arrests, rather than handling them quietly through internal discipline, is one way law enforcement leaders signal transparency to the communities they serve, though each new case also invites questions about how problems were missed before they became criminal matters.

Florida's victims' rights amendment, known as Marsy's Law, which voters approved in 2018, gives crime victims the right to request that information that could be used to locate or harass them be kept confidential. Law enforcement agencies in Florida routinely withhold victims' names in domestic violence cases, and news organizations generally do not identify alleged victims of domestic abuse without their consent.

How the termination process works

JSO said it is seeking Schrum's termination. At the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, as at many Florida agencies, discipline decisions are subject to internal procedures and, for many employees, union contract protections and appeal rights. Officers facing termination can contest the decision through an administrative process.

The agency's internal investigation is separate from the criminal case. An internal affairs finding can lead to discipline or firing even if a criminal case is later dropped or results in acquittal, because the standard of proof and the questions involved are different. Agencies typically examine whether an employee violated department policies, including rules on conduct off duty.

Resources for domestic violence victims

People experiencing domestic violence in Florida can call the Florida Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-500-1119 for confidential help, including safety planning and referrals to local shelters. In Jacksonville, Hubbard House provides emergency shelter, counseling and advocacy services for survivors of domestic violence.

Victims can also petition the circuit court for an injunction for protection against domestic violence, and court clerks and victim advocates can help with the paperwork at no cost. In an emergency, victims should call 911.

What's next

Schrum's criminal case will proceed in Duval County court, where he will have the opportunity to respond to the charge. The State Attorney's Office for the 4th Judicial Circuit will decide how to proceed with prosecution. As with any criminal defendant, he is presumed innocent unless proven guilty. It was not immediately clear whether Schrum had retained an attorney or entered a plea, and no statement from him or a lawyer on his behalf was included in the sheriff's office announcement.

Separately, the sheriff's office will move forward with its effort to terminate his employment, and the injunction petition will be handled in civil court. The case is likely to keep attention on the agency's string of employee arrests in 2026 and on Waters' pledge to hold his officers accountable.