POLK COUNTY, Fla. — A police officer in Haines City was arrested Saturday and accused of stealing from Walmart using the self-checkout. He resigned from his position after his arrest, authorities said.
According to a press release, the sheriff's office charged David Griffin, 48, with five counts of retail petit theft. Shelbi Dubose, 28, was also charged with four counts of the same crime.
The sheriff's office said an employee at the Walmart, located in Mulberry, noticed Griffin was putting things in bags without scanning them. The employee pointed this out, but when they walked away, authorities said Griffin continued to do it.
The store security stopped Griffin and Dubose when they tried to leave. In total, authorities said they scanned and paid for $207 worth of product but didn't scan or pay for $343 worth.
The store employees checked their records of Griffin's debit card usage and pulled video of those transactions, where they found four other similar thefts by Griffin on October 15 and 29 and November 10 and 26. The sheriff's office said Dubose was there for three of them.
“It is always disappointing to me when someone in law enforcement commits a crime and betrays the trust of their community. Haines City is a wonderful city, and they have a top-notch professional police department. We will absolutely hold Griffin accountable for his actions. The only thing he did right was immediately resign upon his arrest," Sheriff Grady Judd said.
Haines City Police Chief Greg Goreck said the arrest was "deeply troubling."
“I want to assure the public that we hold our officers to the highest standards of integrity and ethical conduct. The recent arrest of one of our officers is deeply troubling and contrary to the values of our department," Goreck said in a statement. "This behavior is not representative of the dedicated men and women who serve our community with honor and commitment every day. Let it be known, had Officer Griffin not resigned, his removal from duty would have been swift and decisive. We have zero tolerance for such actions and are committed to maintaining public trust through accountability and transparency."
