DELTONA, Fla. – Local 12 reports that on May 31, just 20 minutes after being suspended, an off-duty officer was arrested and later resigned after she was caught riding a motorcycle with a fake license plate. The officer claimed she had been previously told by other officers that she was “good to go.”
According to Local 12, earlier that evening, an officer encountered a motorcyclist at a gas station who had fled from a traffic stop earlier in the day. The suspended officer, who was nearby with a group of riders, was identified when the fleeing rider called out to her. This prompted the group, including the accused officer, to begin arguing with the responding officer.
The fleeing rider was arrested on charges of fleeing or attempting to elude law enforcement, with bond set at $2,500 at the Volusia County Branch Jail. After that incident, the accused officer left the scene and continued riding with the fake tag. She was later stopped by deputies after officers noticed her license plate was flipped up and not visible. When flipped down, the plate read “CHASE3,” according to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office.
Local 12 released a video of the stop. As the officer approached the accused, she immediately stated, “I was just told I was good to go.” The video shows the officer flipping the license plate down and responding, “This is not a good tag.” The accused reiterated she had been told she was fine and said she was simply trying to go home.
The video continues with the officer instructing the accused to put her hands behind her back before placing her in handcuffs. She continued to argue that she had been told she could leave. The officer responded that he would review her information and asked if she was still a sworn officer. The accused replied that she had been suspended just 20 minutes earlier and was on her way home. The officer noted that she had been riding with a fake tag before her suspension.
Local 12 reports the officer was booked into jail with bond set at $2,500. She faces charges of possession of a counterfeit license plate, with more charges potentially pending. The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office has launched an internal affairs investigation, including a review of the officer’s social media activity, where she is alleged to have displayed dangerous behavior on public roads. The officer has since resigned from her position.
