BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – A Brevard sheriff's deputy was arrested Friday on accusations he tried to sell a stolen paintball gun on the online auction site eBay, Local 6 news partner Florida Today reports.
Shawn Matthew Plymale, who goes by his middle name, was served with an arrest warrant charging him with dealing in stolen property, grand theft and dealing in stolen property by use of the Internet, according to arrest documents.
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"It is an ongoing investigation still, so there's no further information regarding the crimes," Sgt. Joanna Seigel of the Brevard County Sheriff's Office told Florida Today.
Plymale worked in the Sheriff's Office about five years and most recently was assigned to patrol duties. Officials said Plymale was held in jail before meeting his $15,000 bond and being released.
Seigel said Plymale was fired after his arrest.
"As a department, we're disappointed in what happened, but we're proud of all the other 1,200 hard working, committed employees we have," she said. "We're proud that the agency took quick action to investigate and solve the crime."
Investigators became aware of the alleged criminal activity just a few days before the arrest, she said.
According to arrest records, a Palm Bay man reported to police in March that he left his paintball gear at Hog Wild Paintball Park in Grant-Valkaria. When he went back, the bag of gear, including a rare collectible Desert Edge edition Planet Eclipse EG09 paintball gun, was gone. Police conducted an initial investigation but came up empty handed, so they suspended it.
The owner of the gun continued checking online auction sites and on Aug. 8 found what he thought was his Desert Edge gun.
Sheriff's investigators found the post on eBay, which listed the gun for sale for $625.
The serial number in one of the advertisement pictures was the same as the man's stolen gun, according to an arrest affidavit.
The Palm Bay man arranged to meet the seller at 7-Eleven at Malabar and Minton roads in Palm Bay on Aug. 9, and investigators went with him.
Plymale said he bought the gun from a man in Melbourne four months ago.