Atlantic Beach interim police chief fired for video games & an alcohol permit?
.JPG "After less than six months on the job, Interim Police Chief Carlos Castillo has been terminated from the Atlantic Beach Police Department.")
The Town of Atlantic Beach’s Interim Police Chief Carlos Castillo was terminated on Monday after multiple suspensions and “a pattern of conduct and performance issues,” according to a notice of employment termination obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request.
Castillo has faced multiple suspensions since taking over as interim chief in April following former Chief Quentin Robinson’s arrest in a prostitution sting operation.
In August, Castillo was suspended for a month without pay for inconsistent attendance, failure to uphold responsibilities, and lack of adherence to job duties, according to documents. At the time, Castillo received a memorandum obtained by The Sun News warning that failure to improve could result in termination.
More recently, Castillo was issued a three-day suspension for insubordination, which he refused to sign. According to the notice of employment termination, Castillo issued an alcohol permit to a local business owner on Oct. 3, despite town manager Adrian Jones’s instructions to the contrary.
When questioned about the violation, Castillo reportedly said, “It’s my fault. My bad. I should’ve called you first,” but would not sign off on the suspension set for Oct. 6 through Oct. 8.
In the termination notice, Jones writes that Castillo played video games on duty, violated the department’s tobacco policy, failed to enforce department policies and was frequently tardy without valid justification.
Jones also accuses Castillo of delegating his responsibilities to subordinates, limiting recruitment efforts, making disparaging remarks to the Municipal Judge about complying with Town ordinances, disabling the Town-issued device location function and failing to support the professional development of a former officer academy accreditation.
According to the termination notice, Castillo was placed on a formal performance improvement plan in September but failed to improve.
“Despite multiple discussions and counseling sessions with Town Manager Jones regarding these issues, there has been insufficient improvement and, at times, disrespectful behavior during these conversations,” the letter said.
The Sun News was unable to reach anyone in the Atlantic Beach government about plans for the police department before publication.
This story was originally published October 8, 2025 at 10:29 AM.