JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A 20-year veteran corrections officer was arrested Friday, accused of reporting his Cadillac stolen so he could collect money from his insurance company.
Ronnye Smith, 48, was charged with insurance fraud, a third-degree felony.
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Undersheriff Pat Ivey said Smith said the reportedly stolen car was stopped in Orange Park by a Clay County deputy. What the occupant told authorities led police and Smith's insurance company to suspect Smith of setting up the fraud.
Two other people are being investigated as part of the scheme.
Ivey said Smith resigned from the Sheriff's Office rather than facing the prospect of being fired. Because the financial crime did not involve city funds, he is still eligible to collect his pension.
Ivey said this is the eighth Jacksonville Sheriff's Office employee arrested this year, compared with 10 arrested last year.