Running late for work? A Florida TSA employee can show you how to stage a burglary to avoid getting in trouble with your boss, though it may land you in jail.
Transportation Security Administration Officer Taleta Collier is the mastermind behind the plot. The 34-year-old was arrested on Monday for producing a fraudulent police report to avoid being reprimanded for tardiness at work. The incident unfolded on March 20th, when the Winter Haven resident was late to work. She told her supervisor that she wasn’t on time because an armed man had tried to break into her parents’ vehicle. She alleged that she drew her agency-issued gun, which caused him to flee. The story seemed like a good enough excuse for anyone to miss work. However, after she was asked to send in the police report of the confrontation, that is when Collier’s plan fell apart.
After texting her manager an incomplete screenshot of a document resembling a Polk County Sheriff’s Office report on April 3rd, the agency became suspicious. The image was sent to PCSO, who confirmed that it was fake. The document included the name of an officer who was not in the country at the time of the fabricated burglary.
“I don’t understand why anyone would go to the extent of creating a fake police report to avoid a reprimand at work for tardiness,” Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said in a statement.
Collier’s motivation for the scheme was most likely her fear of losing her career. She was placed on TSA’s employee improvement plan to address her frequent tardiness. But, judging from her arrest, she may be out of a job altogether.
Collier was charged with criminal use of a personal ID and uttering a false document. She was booked into the Polk County Jail and has since been released on bond.
