ORLANDO, Fla. _ An Orlando police officer who received accolades last year for her actions in disarming a suicidal woman was arrested Friday on theft charges for claiming hours worked that she did not actually earn, documents show.
Orlando police investigators say Officer Laurin Gantt was paid more than $4,000 for the nearly 150 hours, but an investigation showed she never went into work, according to the affidavit.
Gantt requested to be put on desk duty for personal reasons in June. She was assigned to view the IRIS cameras that overlook downtown at Orlando Police Department headquarters.
But a review of the department's card-entry system shows she never entered the building on 14 days she said she worked. Phone records show she was actually in Jacksonville one day, the affidavit said.
Gantt, who was hired in 2012, has been put on paid administrative leave, a department spokeswoman said.
Gantt was honored as the Crisis Intervention Team Officer of the Year in 2017 for getting a suicidal woman to drop a knife.
She could not be reached for comment Tuesday night.
