Former Polk County deputy falsified time cards to collect thousands of dollars in overtime pay
Mugshot of Bruce West Jr. courtesy of the Polk County Sheriff's Office.
WINTER HAVEN, Fla. - A former Polk County Sheriff’s Office deputy is facing fraud charges after investigators say he falsified time cards.
According to PCSO, 33-year-old Bruce West, Jr., collected $15,357 in unearned money by falsifying time cards to claim overtime hours he did not work.
West was arrested on Thursday and charged with grand theft, obtaining property by fraud and falsifying entries to corporate books.
"It’s a major disappointment when someone working in law enforcement runs afoul of the law, but it stings even more when it’s someone within your own work family. He knew better and still betrayed his co-workers, his profession, and the taxpayers of Polk County, and we arrested him.—we intend to not only hold him criminally accountable, but also to recover taxpayers’ money," stated Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd.
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West was hired by the PCSO as a detention deputy on August 30, 2021, and was sworn in on October 19, 2021.
Investigators say he resigned upon his arrest, but if he didn’t, he would have been fired.