Haines City police officer resigns after shoplifting arrest: PCSO
Courtesy: Polk County Sheriff’s Office
POLK COUNTY, Fla. - A former Haines City police officer was arrested on Saturday after being caught shoplifting from a Polk County Walmart, according to officials.
Deputies say 48-year old David Griffin is from Mulberry and was detained by Walmart security at the 6745 Church Avenue North location for retail theft.
According to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, they responded to the Mulberry Walmart on Saturday evening. Deputies discovered that Griffin had been employed as a police officer in Haines City since June 2019.
PCSO says Griffin was with 28-year old Shelbi Dubose, who was also arrested.
According to detectives, a Walmart employee noticed that Griffin was placing items in bags without scanning them at self-checkout.
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The sheriff's office says an employee approached Griffin to help rectify the situation and to make him aware of the unscanned items.
After the employee walked away, detectives say Griffin and Dubose continued to bag more items without scanning them.
Walmart security stopped Griffin and Dubose from leaving the store, according to investigators.
Officials say the pair had scanned and paid for $207.72 worth of merchandise, but did not scan merchandise worth $343.22.
Investigators say Walmart security checked their records of Griffin’s debit card usage at the store and pulled security video of those transactions.
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According to deputies, Griffin had committed four similar thefts on Oct. 15, Oct. 29, Nov. 10, and Nov. 26. Officials say Dubose participated in three of those thefts.
Griffin resigned from HCPD upon his arrest, according to authorities.
"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," said Sheriff Grady Judd in a news release.
The sheriff's office says David Griffin was charged with five counts of retail petit theft, which is a second degree misdemeanor.
Shelbi Dubose was charged with four counts of the same crime, according to officials.
"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. 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," shared Police Chief Greg Goreck, Haines City Police Department.