Officer removes body cam, touches woman after domestic violence call, Florida cops say

An officer responding to a domestic violence call arrested a woman’s boyfriend, then went back to the scene, took off his body camera and touched her inappropriately, Florida authorities said.

John Burgos, 35, is the 15th employee of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office to be arrested this year, according to reporting from The Florida Times-Union and WJXT.

Burgos worked with the sheriff’s office for more than six years and was charged with battery and false imprisonment, Director of Personnel and Professional Standards Brian Kee said during an Oct. 31 news conference.

The afternoon of Oct. 30, Burgos was on-duty and responded to a domestic violence call with injuries involving a couple, according to an arrest report obtained by McClatchy News.

Burgos ended up arresting the boyfriend and took him to jail before going back to the scene to give the girlfriend resources on a safe location to stay, police said.

He had removed his body worn camera, according to police.

The woman said Burgos told her she was a “beautiful girl” and offered to buy items for her baby, police said. She reported that during their conversation, he questioned whether he should have only arrested her boyfriend and “made multiple references to not arresting her earlier for various reasons.”

The woman said she noticed he didn’t have his body worn camera on him, so she tried to record their interaction on her phone, police said.

He noticed she was recording, and she said she turned off her phone camera because she was worried he may arrest her, according to police.

She was later able to “covertly” start recording again, police wrote in the report.

“While alone with the victim and under the color of authority, Burgos did not allow the victim to leave the area and he touched the victim without valid consent,” Kee said.

After Burgos left, the woman said she called her mom and reported the incident to law enforcement, according to the report.

Burgos has been suspended without pay and will be fired, Kee said.

The last Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office employee to be arrested was accused of similar misconduct. Investigators say Reginald McKinney turned off his body worn camera and touched a woman inappropriately when he pulled her over while driving, McClatchy News reported in September.

“With this arrest, JSO sends a clear message that we will not tolerate when a member of this agency violates the law and threatens the public trust in law enforcement,” Kee said.

This story was originally published October 31, 2024 at 2:29 PM with the headline "Officer removes body cam, touches woman after domestic violence call, Florida cops say."