Haines City Cop Accused Of Shoplifting From Walmart Multiple Times

HAINES CITY, FL — A Haines City police officer resigned after he was arrested and accused of shoplifting multiple times from a Polk County Walmart, authorities said Monday.

David Griffin, 48, of Mulberry, was charged with five counts of retail petit theft after he was detained by Walmart security following an incident on Saturday, the Polk County Sheriff's Office said.

Griffin was accompanied by 28-year-old Shelbi Dubose, who was also arrested and charged with four counts of retail petit theft, authorities said.

According to authorities, deputies were called to a Walmart store located at 6745 Church Ave. N. in Mulberry after an employee noticed Griffin was allegedly placing items in bags without scanning them.

Authorities said an employee approached Griffin, made him aware of the unscanned items and assisted him in rectifying the problem. When the employee walked away, Griffin and Dubose both continued to bag additional items without scanning them, according to authorities.

According to the sheriff's office, Walmart security stopped the pair as they attempted to leave.

Authorities said Griffin and Dubose scanned and paid for $207.72 worth of merchandise, but did not scan more than $343 worth of merchandise.

Following his arrest, authorities said investigators checked transaction records at the store involving Griffin’s debit card. Authorities pulled security video of the transactions and, according to investigators, discovered Griffin had committed four similar thefts on Oct. 15, Oct. 29, Nov. 10 and Nov. 26. Authorities said Dubose was involved in three of the four thefts.

Haines City Police Chief Greg Goreck called the allegations against Griffin "deeply troubling."

"This behavior is not representative of the dedicated men and women who serve our community with honor and commitment every day," Goreck said in a statement. "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."