Volusia County deputy resigns after being accused of stealing money from DUI suspects

VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — A Volusia County deputy accused of stealing money out of people's wallets has resigned.

Deputy John Barman’s personnel file shows he was disciplined in the past for missing court hearings he was required to attend.

Sheriff Mike Chitwood said had Braman not resigned, he was likely going to fire the deputy.

Braman could face criminal charges down the line.

He served a 12-hour suspension without pay for missing at least eight traffic hearings in the span of 14 months between May 2015 and July 2016, according an office internal affairs report.

The resignation comes as the Sheriff’s Office and Florida Department of Law Enforcement began investigating Braman this month for allegedly turning off his body camera and taking money from the wallets of people he arrested during DUI stops.

He's not been arrested or charged with anything related to those allegations.

Even after being reprimanded for missing the traffic hearings, the report states Braman continued to miss other hearings.

The report shows he missed another traffic hearing in April for a DUI case, and claims Braman's absence allowed the defendant to keep their license in that case.

The report then states there were at least two hearings Braman missed in July.

According to the report, Braman told investigators that in some cases, he forgot he had a hearing. He blamed other absences on scheduling conflicts due to child care.

The state attorney's office said once the FDLE finishes its investigation into Braman, it will review the case to see if any charges will be filed.

Cox Media Group