A Florida lawsuit alleges that a Ft. Lauderdale cop turned a blind eye to a female drunk driver after the two of them have sex. According to the suit, the officer followed a vehicle from a strip bar that was occupied by two women.
As reported in the Detroit Free Press:
Thomas Merenda, 34 and a 12-year veteran of the department, also turned himself in Thursday night and is out on a $4,500 bond, facing one count of unlawful compensation and one count of battery.
According to the arrest report, Hartley pulled over a black Toyota Yaris about 4 a.m. that morning, soon after the two women had left the Vegas Cabaret, an adult club.
According to the women, Hartley threatened to arrest them. Instead, he told them to follow him to a dark area behind a business at 7300 W. Commercial Blvd. He called Merenda to meet them there, according to the arrest report.
This is not the first time police officers have attempted to or actually have asked for sex in exchange for not being arrested for drunk driving. A Tennessee police officer was busted when the woman he arrested told a court during sentencing of the deal that had been made.
Of course the reason police officers try to do this is because they know how frightening it is to be arrested for drunk driving, and also, they know how serious the consequences can be. Unfortunately, unethical police officers sometimes prey on these feelings and themselves engage in illegal behavior.
While the majority of police officers around the country are honest hard working men and women, there are a small number of them that are not so respectable. And while offering to exchange sex for a DUI arrest must be exceedingly rare, it is also undoubtedly true that many instances of this sort of conduct go unreported.
If you are arrested in Michigan for DUI and the arresting officer attempts to engage in any kind of improper or inappropriate behavior, make sure you report it immediately. While you may rightfully believe that another officer may skeptical of the accusations, a lawyer specializing in wrongful police will likely be very interested in learning the facts behind what happened to you.
One Response
Stories like this always make me sick to my stomach. This is the main reason I am a DUI defense attorney in Arizona. I hate when people are taken advantage of just because law enforcement has power.