A former Pinellas County deputy is speaking out after he ended up on the other side of the law last week.

  • Steve Smith facing grand theft, possession of a controlled substance charges
  • Attorney for Smith said they plan to fight charges in court
  • Sheriff's Office did not comment on Smith's statements

On Friday, with his attorney by his side, Steve Smith denied the allegations that Sheriff Bob Gualtieri laid out in a press conference last week after Smith’s arrest.

Those allegations landed Smith, a Pinellas County deputy for four years, behind bars and off the force.

“I can’t just lay down and take these false claims. There’s no way,” said Smith. “To be smeared and to have my life ruined. My career in the trash can, it’s almost such a travesty how bad it was. It’s hard to even grasp.”

Smith is charged with one felony count of Possession of a Controlled Substance and two felony counts of Grand Theft. Gualtieri last week said Smith’s drug problem is the reason he now faces serious felony charges.

RELATED: Pinellas deputy arrested on theft, drug charges

“About a week ago, we received information from Smith’s former girlfriend that he was addicted to prescription drugs and that he had stolen drugs that he came across in the course of his work as a deputy sheriff,” Gualtieri said. “Instead of properly disposing the oxycodone, Smith told his girlfriend that he stole the drugs for his own personal consumption. The girlfriend provided us with a photograph of the stolen drugs and the pill bottle in Smith’s bedroom.”

The sheriff went on to say Smith admitted to being addicted to pain killers. Smith also reportedly pawned his service weapon for money, and may have been living in his patrol car.

These are claims Smith and his attorney said are far from the truth.

“I unequivocally did not steal any drugs," said Smith. "Again, I’m not going to go over the details of the case from the advice of my lawyer. But yes, absolutely not."

“Does this look like the man they’re describing to you?" said defense attorney John Trevena. "And wait until you talk to him. See if he sounds like a drug addict. Is he sweating? Is he shaking? Does he have a single symptom of someone who is impaired or using drugs?”

Smith said he only admitted to having a drug problem because that’s what he was told to say. He also claims he didn’t commit a crime by pawning his service weapon.

Smith also claimed he’s had a target on his back ever since he was involved in a shooting on the job three years ago, a shooting he said he was cleared of. But he said when he pushed back on a request to give two statements in the case, higher ups weren’t happy and things went downhill from there.

No matter the outcome in court, Trevena admitted that his client's career in law enforcement was over.

We reached out to the sheriff for a comment after Smith spoke out. The sheriff had no comment.