David Britto -- last year's Officer of the Year from the Boynton Beach Police Department who was arrested in July on a meth-trafficking charge -- is now a fugitive, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.
Barry Golden of the Marshals Service tells the Pulp that on August 24, Britto cut off his electronic ankle monitor, which he received after posting $100,000 bond in his federal case on July 7.
When we asked Golden to confirm that Britto was missing, he said, "I wouldn't say he's missing. He's a fugitive, and he's on the run."
Golden says Britto was not on house arrest -- he was allowed to move around anywhere in the court's definition of the southern Florida district -- but did have a curfew that he violated.
When the court's pretrial services received a notification last week that Britto didn't return to his mother's Coral Springs home by 11 p.m. and when authorities showed up to the house, he wasn't there.
Golden says the warrant for Britto's arrest went out on Thursday, and he maintains the Marshals Service does not know where he is.
Golden also says Britto's family was not cooperative when authorities spoke to them, contrary to what they told other media members.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Britto, 28, was charged with conspiring to possess and traffic more than 500 grams of meth and could face the maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted.
The Palm Beach County Association of Chiefs of Police website says Britto was a sergeant in the U.S. Marines before becoming a cop.
According
to the site, Britto worked 18 narcotics cases last year that led to 25
arrests and seized the following drugs: 757 Xanax pills, 161 oxycodone
pills, ten grams of crack cocaine, and 46 grams of weed.
The last update Britto posted on his personal website was on August 17, with a religious post titled "Have You Ever Faced a Challenge?":
Have you ever faced something that seems so overwhelming that you have no idea how to handle? Does everything seem so cloudy and you cannot see a few inches in front of you?
I do know the feeling and have felt it a few times in my own personal life. But if it is one thing I did learn in the experiences in my life that God is always in control of every situation and circumstances. There is always someone somewhere in the world going through a situation much tougher such as going hungry or in a hospital bed.
The first step is to have faith in God almighty and He will give you Hope. There is always hope and you must believe that there is always a better day ahead of us. Without faith and hope you won't make the decisions needed to be made today to change your circumstances for tomorrow...
Britto's trial was scheduled to begin in mid-September.
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