PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — A Florida Highway Patrol trooper has been arrested for allegedly accessing confidential law enforcement databases and sharing driver’s license photos, addresses, vehicle information and other personal information through text messages and Snapchat, CBS 12 reported.
A Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigative affidavit obtained by CBS 12 states that the trooper knowingly shared confidential criminal justice information at least 22 times between 2022 and 2025. The information was allegedly obtained through restricted systems including FCIC (Federal Crop Insurance Corporation), NCIC (National Crime Information Center) and Florida’s DAVID (Driver and Vehicle Information Database).
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Investigators stated in the affidavit that the trooper used the information primarily to parody or mock people listed in the information.
The investigation began in Sept. 2025 when police in Alabama arrested a man for allegedly impersonating a police officer, CBS 12 reported. The man’s vehicle was packed with police gear, including radios, lights and sirens.
An investigation found that the man had been in text conversations with the trooper, in which the trooper allegedly provided him with confidential information. In one instance, the impersonation suspect asked the trooper to run a driver’s license.
According to the investigation, the trooper ran the information through the NCIC database and sent the impersonation suspect a screenshot of the results.
In another exchange, the trooper accessed Flock to search for a vehicle and warned a man that names and addresses associated with the vehicle had been “hot listed,” CBS 12 reported.
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At least two of the information exchanges occurred over Snapchat.
In one Snapchat exchange, the trooper allegedly sent a database image containing a person’s address, vehicle information and driver’s license information after being asked for details about the person, according to the affidavit. The affidavit states that said he sent another person’s information in a separate Snapchat exchange.
The FDLE investigation found that the trooper’s improper access and data sharing was not intended to obstruct a criminal investigation, but was a knowing misuse of his access, CBS 12 reported. The affidavit states investigators requested an arrest warrant for unauthorized computer system use.