Pensacola Officer Arrested Over Alleged Opioid Purchase

Part-time Pensacola police officer Matthew Baxter was arrested after an investigation by the department and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Authorities allege he bought hydrocodone without a prescription while wearing his uniform and driving his assigned cruiser after an airport security shift. Baxter faces two counts of possessing a controlled substance without a prescription and one count of unlawful use of a two-way communication device; he has since been fired. Investigators said the case remains active.