A St. Petersburg Police officer was officially terminated yesterday after his duty belt—which included his gun, taser, ammo and more—was found near a dumpster in Pasco County.
St. Petersburg Police Chief Anthony Holloway confirmed today in a statement that Officer Ramon Ortega was no longer with SPPD, after he was found to be “negligent” with department property.
A spokesperson with the department told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that on Dec. 30, 2024, a deputy with the Pasco Sheriff’s Office contacted the St. Petersburg Police Department after a duty belt was found near a dumpster behind the Village Lake Shopping Center in Land O’ Lakes.
“Surveillance video shows Ortega dropping off a box of toys behind the Village Lake Shopping Center and then leaving,” said the spokesperson. About 29 minutes later, an employee at one of the stores found the box and the duty belt “underneath some items that it appears he had dropped off.”
The employee then called 911.
The St. Petersburg Police Department Equipment Room later confirmed that the missing belt belonged to Ortega, who failed to notify a supervisor about the missing items before his next shift.
The belt contained “a department-issued holster, handgun, magazines, Taser, and other items,” according to a statement from SPPD.
Ortega was off-duty at the time of the incident, says the spokesperson.
Following a years-long investigation, the SPPD’s Command Review Board found Ortega had sustained multiple violations including, “Negligent Loss or Damage of Department Property, Improper Procedures, and Chronic Offender of the Code of Conduct.”
Ortega had been an officer with the department since October 2020, and had a history of other disciplinary issues in the last 18 months, says SPPD.
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