A Florida cop found himself behind bars after a seven-month investigation determined he not only had sex with a prostitute while on duty, he lied about doing so in his report that led to the arrest of two massage parlor employees.
But his actions were captured on his own body camera.
Fort Myers Police Captain Jay Rodriguez, 46, is charged with official misconduct and perjury in an official proceeding, both felonies, as well as solicitation of a prostitute, which is a misdemeanor.
The video was recorded on March 14, 2013 but only surfaced last year when a former Fort Myers police officer used it to file a complaint against Rodriguez.
O’Neil Kerr had worked under Rodriguez years earlier and had a few issues with him and the department. In March of 2011, Kerr was arrested for domestic violence. The charges were eventually dropped but Kerr, who is black, was not reinstated until he filed a discrimination lawsuit against the Chief Doug Baker in 2012, resulting in him receiving $18,000 in back pay.
In 2013, Kerr filed a lawsuit against the department, claiming Baker and the investigator who handled Kerr’s case “are and known by the city to harbor racial and national origin hostility and engage in discriminatory practices against minority personnel.”
Kerr, who was terminated from the force in 2018, and filed a complaint against Rodriguez in December 2018 regarding the video he obtained.
Local media obtained the police report from the incident after viewing the video, discovering Rodriguez had lied on his report about having sex with the prostitute. His report is what led to the arrest of two sex workers, according to Fox4Now.
Fort Myers Police Chief Derrick Diggs asked Florida Department of Law Enforcement to investigate after the media started asking questions.
Chief Diggs said in a statement:
“Although the incident occurred 3 years prior to my arrival, I take any allegations of misconduct by our officers seriously. His actions should in no way reflect on the character and integrity of this organization or the men and women who tirelessly work every day to protect the good people of Ft Myers.”
During the investigation, Rodriguez committed perjury when he lied under oath to an official, stating that he had never had in sex while on duty.
In February 2019, Fort Myers police Department made news after another video surfaced of of an officer tasering a black man while shopping at a gas station.
The department also made news in 2018 when an officer claimed a fast food restaurant tampered with his food.
