Fifty-one-year-old Mike Glatfelter was once a trusted member of the Hernando County Sheriff's Office, at one point even serving as treasurer of the local Fraternal Order of Police.
But now it seems the 24-year veteran of the force is on the other side of the law, accused of stealing from the very organization he served.
"You hear the cliché of tarnishing the badge, I can't think of anything else that fits more appropriately," said Hernando County Sheriff Al Nienhuis.
At a news conference Friday morning, Sheriff Nienhuis said between 2006 and 2010, Glatfelter used the Fraternal Order of Police debit card to withdraw more than $8,000 and then spent another $5,000 plus shopping for himself at places such as Walmart and Target. But the sheriff said the most disturbing revelation was that Glatfelter stole from a memorial fund for one of his fallen colleagues, Captain Scott Bierwiler, who was killed in a car crash on his way to work in 2009.
"When you steal money from a widow and her family, particularly from someone who died while serving their county, it's tough," Nienhuis said. "And it makes us very angry."
Angie Bierwiler spoke with our partner, the Tampa Bay Times.
"I hate to think that he possibly hurt his career, having survived as a law enforcement officer for this long," the widow said. "It really is very heartbreaking."
Bierwiler said all this time, she and her husband had considered Glatfelter a friend.
The sheriff says he handed in his letter of resignation on Thursday before turning himself in on charges of grand theft and organized scheme to defraud, both third degree felonies that each carry with them a maximum punishment of five years behind bars and a $5000 fine. He is now out on bond.
In a separate case, another member of the Hernando County Sheriff's Office is also facing grand theft. Sergeant Joseph Reid is accused of stealing several thousand dollars from his vice and narcotics unit, meant specifically for investigations. The sheriff's office said Reid also handed in his letter of resignation Thursday and turned himself in to the Hernando County Jail. He too has since bonded out.