According to a report by the BBC on October 23rd, a police officer in Florida has been accused of using the identity of a deceased man and moving into his residence.
Authorities say that 35-year-old Bryan Lewis Sgroth is a police officer from Laudhill, Florida. He was arrested by the Braverd County Sheriff’s Office this week.
Investigators accused him of pretending to be the deceased Dennis West, moving into the house where West died, and renovating the two-story residence in South Florida. Police said he lived there for several years without being noticed.
According to a police affidavit, it was only when West’s heirs tried to sell the property that local law enforcement became aware of this situation.
It is understood that in 2022, the police received a call and went to check on Dennis West, a 71-year-old resident of Laudhill City, Florida.
Officer Brian Lewis Sgroris was sent to the scene as additional police force to assist with welfare checks. When he found that West had died from natural causes, he subsequently ‘conceived a complex plan to control West’s properties’.
Investigators said that Sgrus told the forensic office that he was a friend of West, but authorities found no evidence of any acquaintance between the two. Court documents detail that the officer appeared on video footage from law enforcement cameras during welfare checks, suggesting that he had had no prior connection to the deceased.
According to media reports, he is also suspected of lying to the county forensic office by claiming that West had no living relatives. Authorities state that this claim is also untrue.
Sguroos then cremated West's remains, and occupied the residence in August 2022 and moved in.
According to court documents, Sgroth claimed that he occupied the residence because the house was ‘dangerous’ and he wanted to prevent others from using it without permission. He paid the fees for utility accounts registered in the name of the deceased. He also applied for a permit to replace the exterior doors and windows, with a cost of $8,000 (approximately 53,000 yuan).
According to the sheriff’s office, Sgrois claimed that he increased the value of the property and spent more than $214,000 on the residence.
Sguros faces charges of improper behavior by public officials, illegal use of deceased individuals’ identity information, illegal use of personal identity data, illegal use of computers, and illegal use of devices for two-way communication. He has chosen to be released on bail.
Judicial documents show that when Sgroth finally returned the property keys to the legal owners, he was suspected of requesting reimbursement for the costs incurred in renovating the property.
Loudes Hill Police Station told BBC News that Sgro Ross has been dismissed from his duties and has been arranged for paid administrative leave.