An 18-year deputy with the Sarasota Sheriff's Office was arrested on multiple charges including attempted murder.
Frankie Eugene Bybee was arrested Monday morning after allegations of harassment by a 79-year-old woman led to an investigation.
Sheriff Thomas Knight said Bybee gained her trust by taking care of her dog, visiting her in the hospital, introducing her to his kids and other means.
The reports began on Dec. 20, 2016. He reportedly was supposed to watch the victim's dog while she was in the hospital and accepted a check for any emergencies regarding the dog while in his care.
He instead kept the money and reportedly sold the dog on Craigslist.
UPDATE | The Sarasota County Sheriff's Office recovered the dog, "JJ," in good health. The dog has been reunited with her owner.
UPDATE: Victim's dog has been located & in good health. We are happy to report JJ has been reunited with her owner. pic.twitter.com/oK1O1b62vO
— SarasotaSheriff (@SarasotaSheriff) January 24, 2017
On Jan. 9, 2017 four checks were made out to Bybee totaling $65,000 in the victim's name. She had no knowledge of the checks and the investigation later revealed Bybee's fingerprints on them.
Three days later, the victim reported that Bybee entered her home wearing latex gloves, mounted her, and forced prescription medication into her mouth.
It was determined her home was filled with carbon monoxide after the inside garage door was left open and the car was left running.
The investigation found that Bybee attempted to kill her while making it look like a suicide.
He was unsuccessful in his attempt.
Among the charges are forgery, grand theft, burglary of an occupied dwelling, battery on a person 65+ years of age and attempted murder.
Bond has been set at $1,033,120 and an arraignment is scheduled for Feb. 24.
Bybee has been investigated five times in his tenure and suspended multiple times.
This is a developing story. Refresh for updates.
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