The Pasco County Sheriff's Office has terminated another deputy.

According to Sheriff Chris Nocco, former deputy Fredric Pye Vetter, 44, was arrested Thursday and terminated a day later for tampering with physical evidence.

Vetter is a 16 year veteran of the sheriff's office but he has a spotty past. Sheriff Chris Nocco described him as rogue and said he's had a pattern of not doing his job. Vetter was described by a tipster as a dirty cop.

Last November, Vetter was called out to a Walmart in New Port Richey to check on a report of theft.

The sheriff says when Vetter saw the surveillance video he recognized the suspects and warned them about the investigation.



“Saying you need to watch out what you’re doing, law enforcement is onto you, you need to be careful, that’s what he does for the female,” Nocco said. “For the male, he finds out who the male’s probation officer is and tries to get him arrested on those charges.”

According to Nocco, his ex-deputy also told investigators he forgot where he placed the evidence and forgot to tell anyone about it. The sheriff’s office says it’s part of his reputation.



“Covering things up, thinking that he was doing people a favor, and if a crime was committed he would do things on his own,” Nocco said.

There was a time Vetter was making news for better reasons. In 2008, he captured a 250 pound gator walking around a neighborhood. Even so, the deputy's past problems in the department have raised red flags. But Nocco said he can only take action based on what's happen since he's been sheriff.



“There is one incident that I know of but it did not rise to the level of being fired and arrested,” he said.



And the sheriff said this one incident has sparked a much bigger investigation. The sheriff’s office said Vetter could face other charges and it also may have to investigate his previous cases.

This is the second arrest of a Pasco deputy in the past week and a half.



The termination of another former Deputy, Carlos Lopez, was announced Nov. 6. Lopez was fired after admitting to sexually assaulting a woman while on duty.