May 10 (UPI) — A police officer in St. Cloud, Fla., has been arrested for stealing credit card information from a dead person during a police call.
Officer Dianna Ferreira, 25, admitted to photographing the dead man’s credit card and has been fired and charged with theft, criminal use of personal identification information of deceased, and fraudulent use of a credit card.
Police received a call from a man with difficulty breathing on April 3. When officers arrived at the scene, they found the man dead.
On April 14, St. Cloud Police were contacted by the deceased man’s widow who had noticed suspicious activity on her husband’s credit card starting one day after his death.
Authorities say the card was used to pay for a hotel room as well as gasoline and meals from Wendy’s. After the card was cancelled, there were attempted charges for gasoline and at a business that does eyelash extensions.
Ferreira was identified via her vehicle, which had been spotted by witnesses who also provided a description of the driver. Ferreira told investigators she used the credit card to add money to mobile applications and made purchases using them.
St. Cloud Police Chief Douglas Goerke apologized to the public for Officer Ferreira’s actions.
“The department and its staff is held to the highest standards and expectations by residents of this city, and keeping the community’s trust is paramount,” he said.
