Titusville police officer accused of distributing cocaine

TITUSVILLE, Fla. — Federal agents arrested a Titusville cop they believe was trying to distribute cocaine.

Officer Richard Irizzary has been on leave without pay since the allegations surfaced in January.

Channel 9's Julie Salomone was in federal court Thursday as Irizzary faced a judge for the first time.

Irizzary has been with the Titusville Police Department since 2010. He was placed on administrative leave without pay once the department learned about the allegations.

"Our department wants the public to know that this incident is in no way a reflection of the men and women here at the police department," said Maj. Todd Hutchinson of the Titusville Police Department.

According to the indictment, he's been accused of attempting to distribute cocaine and possessing a fire arm during the crime.

Titusville police said Irizzary's gun and badge were seized months ago and they can't make a decision to terminate him until an internal investigation is complete.

"We dealt with it and we're confident that this is an isolated incident and highly unusual," said Hutchinson.

WFTV