Prosecutors in Missouri want a firefighter to spend up to five years in prison after he admitted to stealing a crash victim’s credit card so he could buy items such as gas and a car wash.
Arnold Britt, 41, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to receiving stolen property and fraudulent use of a credit/debit device, according to the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. Spokesman Chris King said in an email to Law&Crime that prosecutors are recommending five years for the stolen property charge and one year for the fraud charge. The sentences would run concurrently. A sentencing date is scheduled for Sept. 6.
Britt was once hailed as a shining example by the St. Louis Fire Department after the former University of Missouri wide receiver turned in his football uniform for bunker gear. But that all changed in February 2023 when Britt stole a credit card from a surviving victim while responding to a quadruple fatal crash near Saint Louis University. A vehicle fell off an overpass and landed upside down.
According to local NBC affiliate KDSK, the victim, 18-year-old Seven Robinson, told police his wallet was missing and he thought a cop took it. He said the wallet contained about $700 in cash because he was out celebrating his birthday. Body camera footage showed Britt take Robinson’s wallet to get his ID. But instead of giving the wallet back to Robinson, Britt put it in his jacket. Britt then bought some gas, a car wash and a few items at a convenience store totaling about $120, prosecutors said in an indictment.
Britt told detectives he thought he was using his wife’s credit card and alerted his supervisors after realizing his mistake, KDSK reported.
“It’s hurtful,” Robinson said in an interview with KDSK, adding that he had never received the $700 in cash back. “It wasn’t just an accident. It was the deaths of youth.”
An attorney for Britt did not immediately return a call requesting comment from Law&Crime. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports Britt is no longer with the St. Louis Fire Department.
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