St. Cloud police officer arrested — in her own handcuffs — for stealing dead man's credit card

A St. Cloud Police officer has been arrested and subsequently terminated for stealing and using credit card information she obtained from a deceased person at the scene of a medical emergency.

St. Cloud Police Chief Doug Goerke and Osceola Sheriff Marcos Lopez jointly announced that Officer Dianne Ferreira, 25, was arrested Tuesday and charged with theft of credit card information with intent to use, fraudulent use of a credit card over $200 (both felonies) and use of personal ID of a deceased person. She was held on a $4,000 bond that Osceola County Jail records show was posted by Wednesday morning for her release.

"She was an officer, but she doesn't deserve that title now," Goerke said Wednesday.

The arrest came after about a month-long investigation, from which these facts came out: on April 3, Ferreira was part of the response with medical responders to a deceased male at a St. Cloud home. She took photos of the man's credit card information while paramedics were working, and loaded the information into a mobile application in order to use them remotely, which she began doing on April 4 outside St. Cloud around Osceola County for expenses like gas, fast food, a hotel room and eyelash extensions, all made on her days off.

The charges were for about $450, and she tried twice more to use the information after the cards had been canceled. The man's widow reported the charges on April 14. With the charges happening in county jurisdiction, the Sheriff's Office conductive the investigation, during which Ferreira admitted to her actions, without further explanation. She was immediately placed on unpaid administrative leave, and she subsequently resigned from the Department. 

Lopez and Goerke said it made officers, "sick and nauseous to do this."

"Not all LEOs act like this. We take immediate action," Lopez said. "Hopefully she'll be held accountable for everything she did."

Goerke said he "felt more remorseful" the actions occurred more than Ferreira might.

"My sincerest apologies to the victims. To take advantage of a person in a time of need is absolutely reprehensible," the St. Cloud chief said. "I'm proud to wear this uniform and share the work of what law enforcement on a daily basis. We engage the public on a daily basis to built trust and legitimacy for our agency. That said, I have no tolerance for officers who harm the community or violate its trust.

"When the matter was brought to my attention we worked very closely with the Sheriff's Office to assist the criminal investigation. The information in it shocked and appalled me. It violates everything that I expect and demand from our officers."

To make the matter more pointed. Goerke said he made sure that Ferreira was arrested in her own handcuffs.

"The badge she wore has been tarnished and will never be worn again; in fact, it will be destroyed," he said. "I'm asking the State Attorney to prosecute this to the fullest extent of the law. To our residents and visitors: this person's actions are in no way reflective of the fine men and women who take their oaths seriously. I will be the first person to take someone out of their uniform for violating these principles."

Ferreira entered a crossover training program with the Corrections office in 2021 and began with St. Cloud PD in February 2022. She had spent about 11 months in uniform, Goerke said, and had no prior disciplinary incidents prior to this.

"In 21 years (with the Orlando Police Department), we've taken officers off the street," Goerke said. "But I've never seen anything like this."