St. Petersburg Officer Arrested, Terminated After Fraud Attempt

ST. PETERSBURG, FL —A St. Petersburg Police Department probationary officer was arrested and terminated from his job Wednesday after authorities said he attempted to use a woman's personal information to make online purchases, the St. Petersburg Police announced Thursday.

Jonathan Cain, 25, turned himself in to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office after he and his employer were notified of the investigation by the Pinellas Park Police Department. The Tampa Bay Times reported Cain was charged with a felony of scheming to defraud.

Cain had been on administrative leave without pay since earlier in the week, pending the outcome of the investigation. But the St. Petersburg Police announced that due to Cain's probationary status and arrest, he could be terminated without an internal investigation and/or board hearing.

Cain, who had been sworn in at the department on Aug. 17, 2020, was reportedly released from custody after posting $5,000 bail

According to the Tampa Bay Times, on Feb. 11, Cain used the victim's credit card information to place an order totaling $243.11 through an app at a St. Petersburg Walmart. The victim was alerted to the order, and canceled it before Cain could pick up the items.

The next day, Cain tried to use the app again on a $167.87 order at a Pinellas Park Walmart. He then went to pick up the items, but the store had been alerted and canceled the order.

But security cameras captured Cain's Jeep at the store. Later, investigators said they traced online purchases to Cain's IP address and that he added the name "Jon C," his personal email address and his phone number to the victim's Walmart account.

"(Cain) no longer had the trust of the Police Department or the public and had to be terminated," St. Petersburg Police Chief Anthony Holloway told the Tampa Bay Times. "