Delores L. Walker, Free Press Reporter

A Lafayette County Sheriff’s Office Detention Deputy found himself on the wrong side of the law that he had sworn to uphold when Joe Nathan Harris, 33, was arrested and charged with federal drug trafficking in Suwannee County July 2.



The arrest was the result of an undercover drug investigation conducted by the combined agencies of the Lafayette County Sheriff’s Office, the Suwannee County Drug Task Force, Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).



Harris was detained overnight at the Suwannee County Jail then taken to Jacksonville where he was arraigned on federal charges said Aubrey Land, Suwannee County Drug Task Force. Land said the undercover operation “went incredibly smooth without incident.”



Records show that Harris was released on $25,000 bond.



According to Sheriff McCall, Harris is placed on administrative suspension, with termination pending. Harris voluntarily surrendered his law enforcement certification.



Harris was employed for the past five years by the Sheriff’s Office and worked as an officer at the Lafayette County Jail.



McCall said, “This department will continue to stand strong on the “Zero Drug Tolerance” policy, no exceptions made.”