OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. – An internal affairs investigation into the actions of a deputy involved in a deadly crash in 2018 has resulted in her termination.
Investigators said Gloria Boccio was behind the wheel of an Osceola County Sheriff's Office cruiser on the morning of Oct. 5, 2018.
That's when they said she hit a pickup truck, killing the driver, Robert Johnston, 34.
Florida Highway Patrol investigators ruled out any criminal wrongdoing in their investigation, and they cited her for careless driving and not wearing her seat belt.
An internal affairs investigation conducted by the Osceola County Sheriff's Office concluded Boccio had been involved in at least five incidents with her vehicles within the first 18 months she worked as a deputy.
The investigation focused on two of them, including the crash that killed Johnston.
According to the final report, Boccio maintained that her brakes failed that morning, causing her to crash into Johnston's truck.
"I put my foot on the brake, I know it did the same thing as before and it went straight down," she told investigators. "When it went straight down, and I picked it back up, I know for a fact I went into straight panic mode because I didn't know where to go."
Osceola and FHP investigators said they found nothing wrong with the brakes.
Investigators concluded, "your inability to maintain control of your vehicle in the listed incidents showed a deficiency in performing your duties in a manner that maintains the highest standards of efficiency in carrying out the functions and objectives of the Osceola County Sheriff's Office."
Boccio was terminated, and she indicated on the report that she intends to appeal the decision. The appeal was denied.
David Bigney, Boccio's attorney, told News 6 he has not reviewed the report yet, and he couldn't comment on the results.
Johnston's brother, Brian, issued a statement Monday:
"This report contains so many clear, indisputable instances of Gloria's dishonesty, incompetence, low intelligence and lack of personal responsibility that it defies logic for it to have taken over a year for her to be fired."
