Fire Law Blog Fire Service and Public Safety Legal Issues Blog by Curt Varone
A St. Louis firefighter has been accused of using a credit card that belongs to the victim of a vehicular accident he responded to earlier this year. Arnold Britt has been charged with one count of receiving stolen property and one count of fraudulent use of a credit or debit device.
The accident occurred on February 28, 2023 and involved a vehicle accident that injured Seven Robinson, age 18. Following the accident, Robinson reported that his wallet was missing. He told police he recalled being asked for his ID at the scene and while his ID was returned, he never got his wallet back. Robinson later reported that several charges were made on one of his credit cards outside of city limits.
Britt, 40, was initially placed under investigation by St. Louis detectives when police body cam footage from the accident scene showed a man matching his description asking Robinson for his wallet. The video then showed the man removing the wallet from Robinson’s pocket, looking at it, and handing Robinson’s identification to a police officer. Two battalion chiefs were able to identify the man as Britt. Detectives were also able to locate surveillance video that put Britt’s personal vehicle at the locations where the credit card transactions occurred.
When questioned Britt claims reportedly admitted using the card, but claims he mistook it for his wife’s card from the same institution. He also admitted possessing Robinson’s wallet, but claimed he merely put it in his jacket pocket and forgot to return it. St. Louis police opted not to charge him with stealing the wallet and/or credit card. However, the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office brought the charges since the fraudulent transactions occurred outside city limits, but within St. Louis County.
