School board food service employee arrested for purchasing a fraudulent training certificate to get a Security Officer license

BY JENNIFER CABRERA

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Leartis Sunn Dexter, 33, was arrested on September 12 and charged with knowingly possessing a fraudulent training certificate.

Dexter was arrested on a warrant that was issued after a Florida Department of Agriculture investigator filed a sworn complaint charging Dexter with six counts of knowingly possessing a fraudulent training certificate, three counts of using another person’s identification without consent, and one count of providing an official fraudulent statement.

The investigator reported that in his application for a Class “G” Security Officer license, Dexter had provided a training certificate for firearms training, but the person whose signature appears on the license said Dexter had never received a certificate from him or his school.

The investigator also reported that in his application for a Class “D” Security Officer license, Dexter had provided a training certificate for a 40-hour training class that is required for the license, but the person whose signature appears on the license said Dexter had never received a license from him or his school.

Both instructors told the investigator they wanted to pursue criminal charges.

The investigator reported that he interviewed Dexter in July of 2021, and Dexter reportedly said he purchased the training certificates from a person in Miami for $250. Dexter also allegedly showed the investigator three more fraudulent training licenses at the time of the interview, but those documents were not submitted with his license applications.

The sworn complaint was filed on July 1, 2022, and the formal charge for one count of possessing a fraudulent training certificate was filed on August 30, 2022. Dexter has no criminal history and was released on his own recognizance.

Dexter is employed as a food service worker for Alachua County Public Schools. He worked at Williams Elementary in the 2020-21 school year and started at Howard Bishop in August of 2021.

Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.