A Florida woman is accused of faking an armed burglary to avoid getting in trouble for her tardiness at work, authorities said.
According to WFTS, Polk County sheriff's deputies on Monday arrested Tampa Airport Transportation Security Administration Officer Taleta Collier, 34, of Winter Haven, on charges of criminal use of personal identification and uttering a false document in connection with the incident.
Collier Said She was Late Because an Armed Man Tried to Rob Her Parents' Vehicle
Collier, who was already enrolled in an improvement plan due to her excessive tardiness, was late to work on March 20. Once she arrived at work, she told her supervisor she was late because while she was visiting her parents', a man armed with a knife attempted to burglarize her parents' vehicle.
Collier then told her supervisor she drew her agency issued weapon and pointed it at the alleged suspect, causing him to flee. Collier advised that she filed a report with the Polk County Sheriff's Office.
Collier Sent Supervisor a Forged Police Report
When her supervisor requested a case number, she texted him an incomplete "screenshot of a document that looked similar to a police report" on April 3.
"Collier was then instructed to provide an actual copy of the report and not a picture of it, which she never provided," according to news release from PCSO. "Collier's supervisor told detectives that the image provided by Collier was cut off halfway through the second page and no incident description was visible."
On the following day, TSA contacted the sheriff's office. Detectives said after reviewing the screenshot, they said it was an "obvious fake" report. The form used to create the image was not an official sheriff's office document.
They said Collier used the name of a current Polk County deputy and his assigned member number was on the document. It turned out the deputy was on vacation and out of the county at the date and time listed on the fake report.
According to the sheriff's office, the deputy said he didn't respond or create a report on the alleged burglary attempt. Detectives said Collier's parents told them they "had no knowledge of a burglary report and that their vehicle had not been burglarized." Collier was booked into the Polk County Jail and released on bond, according to Sheriff's Office records.
"You can't make this stuff up," Sheriff Grady Judd said in a statement. "I don't understand why anyone would go to the extent of creating a fake police report to avoid a reprimand at work for tardiness. Collier has violated the trust of her coworkers and the people she was supposed to keep safe."
