ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – An Orange County sheriff’s deputy has been cleared of any wrongdoing following the arrest of her husband, a self-described member of the Proud Boys who was arrested for allegedly taking part in the January riot at the U.S. Capitol.
Following an internal agency inquiry, sheriff’s officials said they found no evidence that Deputy Sarah Jackman had any involvement or knowledge of her husband’s alleged actions in Washington D.C.
The deputy was not the subject of an FBI investigation, a report said.
Deputy Jackman, a member of the sheriff’s office training unit and videographer for the agency’s Emergency Response Team, was at work on Jan. 6 when her husband, 30-year-old Arthur Jackman, allegedly entered the Capitol building in Washington, D.C. along with hundreds of other rioters. The review of the deputy was announced after his arrest in March.
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An affidavit showed Arthur Jackman is a member of the Proud Boys, “a pro-Western fraternal organization for men,” and went to the Capitol with other members to show support for former President Donald Trump and to “stop the steal” of the election.
The inquiry by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, which began on April 5, noted that Anti-Defamation League and FBI classifies the Proud Boys as “an extreme, far alt-right group that has not been designated a hate group” and that it was not a crime to be a member of the organization.
As part of the inquiry, sheriff’s officials analyzed Sarah Jackman’s agency-issued cell phone but found no evidence to indicate she was involved in Proud Boys activity or the Capitol riot.
During an interview on April 14, Sarah Jackman described the Proud Boys organization as “pro-American, pro-family, and very patriotic,” according to the review.
“Deputy Jackman stated the Proud Boys are a men’s only fraternal organization in which men spend time together and attend Bible studies,” the report said. “Furthermore, she stated the Proud Boys are not a terrorist organization, not a hate group, nor a right-wing extremists group.”
In this interview, Sarah Jackman said her husband was part of the organization for several years and is the vice president of the Orlando chapter. She said Arthur Jackman joined the Proud Boys after they met but before they got married. The review also revealed she said the Proud Boys members never visited their home and that her husband ensured he does not involve her in that part of his life.
“Deputy Jackman rhetorically stated, ‘Do I leave him [Mr. Jackman] because of this group he joined?” the report said.
The deputy said her husband did not do or say anything to lead her to believe he was involved in the United States Capitol riot, the review says. Sheriff’s investigators confirmed Sarah Jackman was working at the agency’s firearms range at the time of the U.S. Capitol riot.
“Deputy Jackman stated she was aware her husband was visiting Washington D.C. to see President Trump speak at a rally,” the report said. “Deputy Jackman stated aside from some short text messages, to include asking him if he had landed safely, she had very little communication with her husband on that day.”
When the FBI visited the Jackmans’ home on Jan. 19, months before his arrest, Sarah Jackman said her husband told her it was in relation to Proud Boys activity “and did not elaborate.”
Sheriff’s investigators examined several tattoos Sarah Jackman received since being hired by the agency in 2015 but they could not find any links to extremist group imagery. A memorandum within the report says a review of Jackman’s disciplinary history also failed to reveal any prior complaint, inquiry, or investigation for allegations involving discrimination of biased based profiling.
The inquiry ultimately found Arthur Jackman acted on his own accord and his wife had no knowledge of his actions. He is facing charges including tampering with a witness, victim or informant; two new charges of entering and remaining on restricted grounds and three counts of violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.
“The inquiry was conducted to determine if Deputy Sarah Jackman violated any OCSO policies or Florida laws in relation to her husband’s involvement in the Proud Boys or the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riot,” the Orange County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. “The inquiry found no wrongdoing on the part of Deputy Jackman. Employees of the Orange County Sheriff’s Office are prohibited from belonging to any group that exhibits extremist ideology.”
Anyone with information about someone who was involved in the riot can find details on how to report them here.