Former Marion Deputy David Ur clears name

Former Marion County Sheriff’s Office deputy David Ur. [Submitted photo]

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Posted February 28, 2026 |

By Jennifer Hunt Murty

Four years after facing nearly two dozen criminal charges, former Marion County Sheriff’s Office Deputy David Ur has officially had his record expunged. Circuit Judge Peter Brigham recently signed an order expunging the record of Ur’s arrest, which had included two counts of official misconduct and 18 counts of false official statements.

The legal battle has taken a significant financial and emotional toll on Ur and his family. Defending himself against the charges cost Ur $205,000 in legal fees, he said, forcing he and his wife to borrow money from both of their parents to stay afloat.

There is a pending lawsuit by Ur against MCSO Sheriff Billy Woods and two deputies individually seeking monetary damages for claims Ur was unjustly retaliated against after complaining about treatment by his superior, targeted for his race and was falsely arrested and imprisoned in violation of his 14th Amendment right.

The ordeal began shortly after Ur joined the MCSO patrol division in August 2020 at the age of 45. According to Ur, he quickly clashed with his supervisor, Sgt. Timothy Liberatore, alleging that Liberatore demanded he “modify the facts in official law enforcement incident and probable cause reports.”

When Ur reported his concerns up the chain of command, he claims it only escalated Liberatore’s antagonism, which included racially charged remarks.

Following Ur’s complaints, Major Louis Pulford initiated an internal investigation that ultimately found Ur’s claims unfounded. Instead, Pulford created what Ur describes as retaliatory complaints against him for taking too long to write reports, improper operation of his body camera, and untruthfulness.

One of those cases involved Ur’s arrest of Sara Ridgeway, the daughter of two law enforcement officers in Dixie County. Pulford said during his deposition in that case that he had no relation to the Ridgeway family and that he reviewed the body cam footage during a random audit process.

Under the threat of criminal charges, Ur resigned in May 2021 and was subsequently arrested.

Ur strongly denies the allegations of untruthfulness, explaining that his reports simply suffered from sequencing errors. “I did everything I said I did in the [body cam] video. So, I mean, it was out of order. That’s all it was. It was just an order thing,” Ur stated.

Furthermore, Ur expressed frustration that his superiors bypassed standard agency protocols that would have allowed him to amend the sequencing mistakes.

“The SOP in the Marion County Sheriff’s Office is they’re supposed to afford me the opportunity to correct my work,” Ur said. “And they never did… they just brought it to the prosecutor. They never gave me the option.”

Ur expressed deep frustration regarding what he said is the lack of accountability for prosecutors in Florida, singling out Assistant State Attorney Janine Nixon, who handled his case. Ur pointed out that while judges and other court officers face oversight, prosecutors seem to have “no accountability.”

Specifically, Ur stated that despite the many years his criminal case was kept active, Nixon could not provide a statement of particulars to the court so that Ur could effectively defend himself.

Ur connected this issue to broader national conversations about police reform, arguing that true reform needs to apply to prosecutors, sheriffs, and agency management. He noted that other states, such as Georgia, have already begun adopting accountability measures for prosecutors.

While Ur’s law enforcement career was derailed, he has found success as a business owner. Ur owns and operates “Rustic Dough Works,” a thriving pizza business that recently expanded to two locations in Palm Coast and Flagler Beach. The business actively gives back to the community, offering discounts to first responders and donating to the local Humane Society.

“I do love making pizza now, though, I’ll be honest with you, I love serving people food. It’s a lot of fun,” Ur said.

Despite his success in the culinary world, the desire to serve as a police officer remains. Coming from a large family of law enforcement professionals, Ur said he still hopes to get his law enforcement license reactivated by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE).

His wife, Lana, a doctor, has been a pillar of support throughout the ordeal. While she has previously admitted that she “would prefer if I didn’t return to law enforcement,” she also acknowledges how much the career means to him.

“I think his license was taken away unjustly,” Lana said. “He worked so hard for it, and he put his heart and soul into this career… if he wants to go back to law enforcement, I’d support him every step of the way, but what they took away from him was unjust.”

The family’s legacy in law enforcement is now continuing with the next generation. Ur’s son recently became a police officer in Delaware. Drawing from his own painful experiences at the MCSO, Ur gave his son a blunt piece of advice for navigating his new career: “If you ever have a boss that is going really after you, change your agency, get away from him.”