The Polk County Sheriff's Office arrested one its own deputies after determining he stole a DVD while responding to a convenience store robbery.
Ernesto McCloud, 28, helped Davenport police officers work a burglary at the Mystic convenience store at 304 U.S. 17 on Nov. 6. When investigators reviewed video surveillance later, they saw McCloud hiding a DVD in his uniform and taking it from the store, the sheriff's office said.
McCloud was arrested Friday and charged with one count of petit theft and one count of armed burglary, because he was carrying his agency-issued firearm. He resigned immediately.
According to the arrest affidavit, McCloud is seen walking behind the sales counter and bending down and bringing objects close to his uniform on several occasions. "Suspect McCloud picks up these items in a surreptitious manner, as he is seen stealthly hiding behind partitions as fellow law enforcement officers pass by," the affidavit says.
Investigators say McCloud admitted to concealing the DVD behind his notepad and storing it between his body-armor and uniform shirt. He said he took the movie because he had never seen it before, the affidavit says.
The DVD was recovered from McCloud's laptop after McCloud a search of his home, the sheriff's office said.
Investigators didn't identify the DVD.
"Suspect McCloud made the spontaneous statement that he lost his career over a $10 DVD," an investigator wrote in the affidavit.