VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — A once-decorated Volusia County deputy is now off the force and facing criminal charges
John Braman, 24, resigned after he was accused of stealing money and Stanozolo, a synthetic anabolic steroid, from a driver during a traffic stop in January, investigators said.
He was charged with theft, official misconduct and possession of a controlled substance, the state attorney’s office announced Thursday.
Body-camera video taken during a traffic stop Braman made August allegedly shows Braman taking money out of a suspect's wallet and pocketing it for himself.
The state attorney's office said it is aware of at least two other similar cases that were also caught on camera, including one that took place four weeks before Braman resigned from the department.
Detectives found syringes and pills believed to be anabolic steroids in his vehicle.
Braman was honored for his bravery by the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office in 2012 after he and another deputy took down a gunman despite being shot at in the process.
But Sheriff Mike Chitwood said he now views the once-decorated hero as a disgrace and melted the former deputy’s badge.
“That badge will never be put on anyone else’s chest again,” he said. “When you go out and do the wrong thing, you are no better than the scumbags that we are out policing.”
Braman’s attorney said his client denied the allegations.