3 Marion County deputies resign amid investigations

MARION COUNTY, Fla. — Several Marion County deputies quit Tuesday during an internal affairs investigation.
 
Deputies Kimberly Bray and Beth Billings were at the center of a drug investigation.
 
Bray allegedly used drugs at a party after she had someone buy cocaine for her. She immediately resigned when her boss asked her to take a drug test.
 
Billings hosted the party and never told officials about the alleged drug use. Billings is accused of convincing Bray to buy the drugs from her nephew. She also resigned.
 
A surveillance video showed a traffic stop performed by Eduardo Bustamante where a gun was found.
 
Bustamante claimed a bag was unzipped and he spotted the gun inside, but investigators said the bag was zipped and he never should have performed the search.
 
State attorneys began looking into Bustamante's cases after judges expressed concern about them.
 
Officials said Bustamante used a questionable claim of smelling marijuana to conduct illegal searches and used illegal tactics to get suspects to talk. He was accused of excessive force and lying in reports.
 
One excessive-force complaint is under investigation by the FBI.

Cox Media Group