A Florida police officer was handed a 20-day unpaid suspension for a taped arrest in 2018 during which he allegedly allowed the suspects to perform sex acts on one another while in the back of his police cruiser.
A recently-released internal affairs report stated that Fort Pierce officer Doug McNeal arrested Zachery Moellendick, 23, and Krista Leigh, 24, for a shoplifting incident at a Walmart. McNeal reportedly placed Moellendick in the back of the vehicle without handcuffs while Leigh was cuffed with her arms in front of her, according to TC Palm.
Video released by the police department appears to show the couple kissing while McNeal played “Can’t Get Enough of Your Love” by Barry White and some country songs. Upon their arrival, McNeal allegedly allowed Moellendick to smoke a cigarette in the vehicle before the couple touched one another in a sexual nature, officials said.
“Due to Leigh and Moellendick’s body posture and arm movements, it is apparent Moellendick and Leigh are sexually pleasuring each other with their hands. This continues for approximately six minutes,” read the internal affairs report, which was obtained by Law & Crime.
WPTV reported that both suspects were not strapped in by seatbelts and that McNeal allegedly waited an hour and a half from the time he responded to the scene before turning on his body camera—both of which are violations. The officer was also reprimanded for failing to tell dispatchers his route and not reporting his mileage.
The report stated that McNeal told an internal affairs investigator that he saw the couple kissing but he “was fine with it.”
TC Palm reported that Moellendick entered a guilty plea for petty theft and trespassing and was released from jail Thursday while Leigh pleaded guilty to petty theft earlier this month and was given time served.
“The Department completed a thorough review of this incident and the findings of the investigation sustained allegations against Officer McNeal and identified deficiencies in the performance of his duties,” Chief Diane Hobley-Burney told WPTV. “Officer McNeal has accepted full responsibility for his actions and understands the seriousness of the policy violations. The conduct of this officer does not represent the values of this Department or the dedicated men and women who serve our community with honor every day.”
McNeal’s suspension started on Valentine’s Day.
[Featured image: Fort Pierce Police Department]
