Plainfield officer fired for having sex in patrol car while on duty

A former Plainfield Police officer admitted to having sex in a police car while on duty, but says the city shouldn't have fired him last year, MyCentralJersey.com reported.

Former Police Officer Fernando Sanchez admitted to having sex with a woman who another officer was found guilty of convincing to strip for him "while he masturbated in a public parking lot while in uniform," the MyCentral Jersey.com story states. The other cop - former Sgt. Samuel Woody - was convicted in December of 2013. He was later sentenced to six years in prison.

Sanchez's sexual acts while on duty were discovered by members of the Union County Prosecutor's Office as they investigated the case involving Woody. According to MyCentralJersey.com, police said that Sanchez lied to investigators by saying “I honestly don’t think so” when asked if he had sex with the woman in his patrol car. He later changed his story and admitted to having sex "frequently" with other partners while on duty.

"Sanchez did not testify in Woody’s trial and never was charged with any crime. But police brass filed 12 departmental and administrative charges, which an employment hearing officer upheld in June 2014. His last day was Sept. 22, 2014," the story states. Sanchez appealed his termination to the NJ Civil Service Commission, but in October, they issued a decision siding with the city's decision. He plans to appeal the commission's decision, MyCentralJersey reported, because he believes his actions only warranted suspension, not termination since he stopped having sex on duty when his actions were discovered. An administrative law judge called his arguments "absurd."

In it's argument, the city said Sanchez's actions “shows a lack of respect for the public, a disregard for the duties of a police officer, and lack of consideration for the civilian involved. Officer Sanchez thought so little of his badge that he found it acceptable to have sex in public while on duty," the story stated.

Toniann Antonelli is the digital managing editor at NJ 101.5. Reach her at toniann.antonelli@townsquaremedia.com, or on Twitter @ToniRadio1015.