A Florida sheriff’s deputy has been caught on surveillance cameras stealing prescription drugs from an 85-year-old man’s home after he was taken to hospital and later died.
Jason Cooke, a Palm Beach County deputy, was arrested last Thursday on charges of burglary and grand theft with a firearm.
He is accused of stealing the drugs, money and jewelry from Moe Rosoff’s home in Boynton Beach after the elderly man was found passed out during a welfare check shortly after Hurricane Irma.
Jason Cooke, a Palm Beach County deputy, was arrested last Thursday on charges of burglary and grand theft with a firearm after he was caught on surveillance cameras
Authorities had received a call from Rosoff’s concerned family members on September 12 asking them to check on the 85-year-old, Local 10 WPLG reports.
Three deputies responded, but Cooke wasn’t one of them, and found Rosoff unconscious on the floor of his bedroom after he had fallen and hit his head.
The man was taken to a local hospital where he later died.
Investigators say the shortly after the scene cleared, Cooke broke into Rosoff’s home.
Surveillance footage, which was released by his family on Tuesday, showed him going through cabinets in the house and putting several items in his pocket.
The family reported Cooke to authorities after viewing the surveillance footage on September 20.
Cooke faced court this week where he was placed on house arrest after posting $28,000 bail
He is accused of stealing the drugs, money and jewelry from Moe Rosoff’s home in Boynton Beach after the man was found passed out during a welfare check during Hurricane Irma
Cooke wasn’t arrested until five weeks later.
‘This video shows Officer Cooke entering our father’s house, in a gated retirement community, through the garage door and going directly to the Master Bedroom, where we believe he stole money and jewelry,’ the family said in a statement to the media.
‘He then goes to the kitchen where he steals several medications.
‘We were told that Officer Cooke denied the crime at first, but after he was shown the video he admitted the crimes.’
The family claim that a number of prescription drugs were found in the officer’s patrol car that didn’t belong to Rosoff, prompting them to believe he allegedly targeted other houses.
Cooke faced court this week where he was placed on house arrest after posting $28,000 bail.
Investigators say the shortly after the scene cleared, Cooke broke into Rosoff’s home. Video showed him going through cabinets in the house and putting several items in his pocket