St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office
WILL GREENLEE / TCPALM
USA TODAY Network, Reuters
A 42-year-old woman was arrested after investigators found her near a stolen Broward County Sheriff’s Office patrol vehicle wearing an outer ballistic vest from that agency, according to the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office on Sept. 23.
Shannon Marie Dillon, 42, of Fort Lauderdale, is suspected to have absconded with the patrol vehicle before making her way to the Interstate 95 Gatlin Boulevard off-ramp where the vehicle was abandoned, according to Capt. Andrew Bolonka, St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson.
Sheriff’s deputies, Port St. Lucie Police and Florida Highway Patrol troopers about 9:40 p.m. Sept. 22 went to I-95 after learning a stolen Broward sheriff’s patrol vehicle was traveling north near Gatlin Boulevard.
“During the response, SLCSO deputies observed a female in the area wearing an outer ballistic vest displaying Broward Sheriff’s Office insignia,” the sheriff’s office stated.
The stolen patrol vehicle was abandoned on the Gatlin Boulevard off ramp.
Bolonka said Dillon doesn’t appear to have any known connections to Port St. Lucie.
According to an email from Veda Coleman-Wright, Broward sheriff’s public information office director, just after 9 p.m. Sept. 22, officials were “notified that a marked Broward Sheriff’s Office vehicle was stolen from the public parking lot area of the Public Safety Building located at 2601 W. Broward Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale.”
That’s roughly 90 miles from where the vehicle was recovered.
“The deputy was on duty and he reported his mark unit missing,” Coleman-Wright stated. “Internal Affairs is investigating the incident to determine exactly what happened and if any agency policy was violated.”
Coleman-Wright said Dillon was taken into custody in St. Lucie County.
Dillon was arrested on charges including:
• Grand theft of law enforcement equipment
• Unlawful use of a police badge or law enforcement vehicle
• Unlawful possession of four or fewer identification items
• Possession or use of drug paraphernalia
• Possession of a weapon or ammunition by a convicted felon
• Driving while license suspended
• Resisting an officer without violence
Dillon is expected to face charges out of Broward County related to grand theft of law enforcement equipment from an authorized emergency vehicle and grand theft.
Will Greenlee is a breaking news reporter for TCPalm. Follow Will on X @OffTheBeatTweet or reach him by phone at 772-267-7926. E-mail him at will.greenlee@tcpalm.com.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Woman in Florida suspected of swiping sheriff’s patrol car
Reporting by Will Greenlee, Treasure Coast Newspapers / Treasure Coast Newspapers
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Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect
This story was originally published September 23, 2026 at 10:51 AM.