Michigan

Video Shows Sweetwater Police Officer Driving With Stolen Tag: FHP

Brand new video shows a Sweetwater police detective driving around with a stolen tag. Now, that officer has been charged with official misconduct and organized scheme to defraud.

Dashcam video obtained by the Miami Herald shows the moment a Sweetwater police officer was pulled over by a Florida Highway Patrol trooper.

Authorities said Octavio Oliu had a stolen Michigan license plate on his unmarked police vehicle and racked up more than 500 SunPass violations.

During the traffic stop, the trooper told Oliu the tag comes up as stolen. Oliu seemed surprised and said it's used for undercover work.

The Sweetwater detective then opened his trunk and shuffled through a stack of license plates.

"How do you guys get the tags? From rental companies?" the trooper asked.

"No, we actually go at times to junk yards and we get them from the junk yards," Oliu answered.

The stop lasted under 10 minutes. For most of that time, the trooper was confirming if Oliu was, in fact, a Sweetwater detective.

Once dispatch gave him the all clear, the trooper let him go.

After an almost two-year-long investigation, Oliu was arrested in February on charges of official misconduct and organized scheme to defraud.

At a court hearing Wednesday, Oliu's attorney expressed he's been asking for internal records from the City of Sweetwater to use in his defense.

"This is a Sweetwater investigation. So Sweetwater should have their documents. When I ask for documents, Sweetwater has totally ignored," said Attorney C. Michael Cornerly.

Back in February, Oliu was placed on unpaid leave.

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