A Gainesville Police detective found himself on the wrong side of a jail cell Monday after he was arrested and accused of tipping off drug traffickers.
The police department and FBI announced Kelvin Mattair's arrest Tuesday morning in a news conference. Mattair faces eight felony charges, including using a law enforcement-restricted database without permission and an unauthorized interception of oral communication.
It was a packed room with law enforcement officials lining the walls waiting for details.
"It brings me no pleasure to stand here," Chief Nelson Moya said as he made the announcement.
Moya said GPD deeply values the community's trust and urged people "not to let the actions of one define the moral fortitude of the rest of us."
Situations like Mattair's arrest test that trust, he said.
"Where there is an allegation of a violation of the public trust and a violation of the oath of office, we treat those cases with the utmost seriousness," State Attorney Brian Kramer said. "They will receive the most important treatment of cases that we handle in our office."
The FBI is leading the investigation. Kramer added that while GPD helped look into the case, the department itself was not under investigation.
Mattair had his first court appearance Tuesday morning, where a judge set bond at $600,000.