It must have been good stuff!
http://www.theledger.com/article/20...-Winter-Haven-Police-Officer-His-Career&tc=ar
BARTOW | A former Winter Haven police officer paid a huge price for stealing a marijuana bud.
<style>.art_main_pic { width: 250px; float: left; clear: left;*</style> He lost his career.
Ricardo Flores, 36, accepted a plea deal Friday on charges that he stole a small amount of marijuana seized from a grow house.
He pleaded guilty to misdemeanor possession of cannabis.
As part of a plea deal, he must give up his law enforcement credentials and serve a year of probation.
Chip Thullbery, a spokesman with the State Attorney's Office in Bartow, said the plea agreement was appropriate because Flores must give up his career in law enforcement.
Prosecutors also took into consideration during plea negotiations the small amount of marijuana involved in the case, said Thullbery.
Chief Gary Hester said he was happy that Flores can no longer serve as a law enforcement officer, and the profession is better off without him.
Flores violated a position of trust, and his actions demonstrate a significant character flaw, Hester said.
He said he was he was proud of his officers for doing the right thing by not tolerating the illegal actions of a colleague.
"No one is above the law," Hester said.
Fellow officers accused Flores, a motorcycle officer, of stealing a marijuana bud by hiding it inside his helmet, records show.
The bud was part of a much larger seizure of about 250 marijuana plants from a house near Old Lucerne Park Road.
The plants were hauled to the police station in a city pickup truck. Flores, who was not part of the grow house investigation, was accused of taking the bud from a plant on the parked truck.
Flores was hired in December 2006 and paid $41,309 per year. He resigned after his Jan. 20 arrest.
[ Jason Geary can be reached at jason.geary@theledger.com or 863-802-7536. ]
http://www.theledger.com/article/20...-Winter-Haven-Police-Officer-His-Career&tc=ar
BARTOW | A former Winter Haven police officer paid a huge price for stealing a marijuana bud.
<style>.art_main_pic { width: 250px; float: left; clear: left;*</style> He lost his career.
Ricardo Flores, 36, accepted a plea deal Friday on charges that he stole a small amount of marijuana seized from a grow house.
He pleaded guilty to misdemeanor possession of cannabis.
As part of a plea deal, he must give up his law enforcement credentials and serve a year of probation.
Chip Thullbery, a spokesman with the State Attorney's Office in Bartow, said the plea agreement was appropriate because Flores must give up his career in law enforcement.
Prosecutors also took into consideration during plea negotiations the small amount of marijuana involved in the case, said Thullbery.
Chief Gary Hester said he was happy that Flores can no longer serve as a law enforcement officer, and the profession is better off without him.
Flores violated a position of trust, and his actions demonstrate a significant character flaw, Hester said.
He said he was he was proud of his officers for doing the right thing by not tolerating the illegal actions of a colleague.
"No one is above the law," Hester said.
Fellow officers accused Flores, a motorcycle officer, of stealing a marijuana bud by hiding it inside his helmet, records show.
The bud was part of a much larger seizure of about 250 marijuana plants from a house near Old Lucerne Park Road.
The plants were hauled to the police station in a city pickup truck. Flores, who was not part of the grow house investigation, was accused of taking the bud from a plant on the parked truck.
Flores was hired in December 2006 and paid $41,309 per year. He resigned after his Jan. 20 arrest.
[ Jason Geary can be reached at jason.geary@theledger.com or 863-802-7536. ]
to him for trying to save a nug! Or maybe he planned to save a clone? 
