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False Police Report Leads to Arrest of FL Schools Officer
Palm Beach County School District Police officer Leartis Vereen is charged with filing a false police report about the theft of his service weapon in Dec. 2010.
The Orlando Sentinal via YellowBrix
March 02, 2011
PALM BEACH COUNTY – A 15-year veteran Palm Beach County school district police officer was arrested Monday and charged with filing a false report about the theft of his weapon, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.
On Dec. 31, Leartis Vereen, 53, told deputies his Royal Palm Beach home had been broken into that same day and that his police-issued duty belt was among the items stolen, investigators said.
The belt contained a department-issued Glock handgun, handcuffs, a police radio, and [pepper] spray, the theft report stated.
However, a check of stolen firearms records showed the missing Glock model 22 with a serial number FXS360 was recovered during a robbery attempt and held as evidence by West Palm Beach police on Dec. 27, four days before Vereen reported it stolen, according to investigator Gabriel Carino.
Confronted with these facts, Vereen changed his story to say the weapon, belt and other equipment were actually stolen on Dec. 27 and that he had tried to recover them on his own by putting “word out on the street,” Carino said.
With no success, Vereen decided Dec. 31 to add the missing gun and duty belt to the list of other items stolen from his home, according to the incident report.
“He has been reassigned to a non-school, non-police position within the school [system] Police Department pending the outcome of the criminal case and the just-launched personnel investigation,” school district spokesman Nat Harrington said. “This is standard procedure for this type of allegation.”
mmmm
about 2 years ago
518 Comments
Where was this officer when the robbery went down?? I could not imagine ever not immediatly reporting that my home was broken into. Did he report anything else stolen??
Hawk9877
about 2 years ago
3912 Comments
What a moron, I wonder if he has any teenage sons he may have been trying to protect? hmm
rhood
about 2 years ago
23592 Comments
The truth is always the best, another career circling the bowl.
wiyemb
about 2 years ago
86 Comments
I believe he was most likely involved in the robbery. just because someone is an officer does not make them a good guy. we need to except that people are people and some just havent been caught and many are not rightouse and do not have good morals and values. We need to treat him just like anyone else and let the facts do the talking
Retleo
about 2 years ago
5522 Comments
Not a very bright move on his part.