A Florida Highway Patrol captain and a trooper are no longer with the agency after turning themselves in at the Osceola County Jail on warrants accusing them of stealing thousands of dollars amid other crimes, according to the agency.
Read more Miss Manners: I’m treated like an intern and embarrassed in front of senior staff
Capt. Lenita King, 63, and Trooper Maurice Vilsaint, 43, surrendered to authorities Wednesday at the jail on charges of defrauding to obtain property, falsifying a public record and falsifying an official document by a public servant, jail spokesperson Hope Martinez said in an email Thursday.
They were further charged with grand theft, with King accused of stealing between $750 and $5,000 and Vilsaint between $10,000 and $20,000 — both third-degree felonies. The accusations against them are unclear, and a public records request for records about the investigation has not been fulfilled.
King and Vilsaint were later released on $30,000 bonds and are not expected to have an initial hearing before a judge Thursday, Martinez said.
Following their arrest, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, which oversees FHP, confirmed King and Vilsaint were fired.
Read more Juneteenth in Orlando: Celebrate with these events
“Due to this being an open criminal investigation, we are unable to comment,” deputy communications director Madison Kessler said in a statement. “Lenita King and Maurice Vilsaint are no longer with the agency, and any further questions can be further directed to the defendants’ lawyer.”
Capt. Kim Montes of OCSO said King and Vilsaint had warrants issued against them following an investigation led by FLHSMV’s Office of the Inspector General. Court records were not available as of Thursday morning.
While Vilsaint was a trooper, King commanded District 2 in Troop D, which is based in Orlando and covers six Central Florida counties. Since her arrest, King’s name and portrait were scrubbed from FHP’s website.
Read more Vote on UF’s next president stalls after questions over hiring practices