Florida police officer charged with sexual battery and false imprisonment of tourist
A Florida police officer was charged with sexual battery and false imprisonment of a tourist he picked up for jaywalking, police said.
Nicolas Paloma, a 29-year-old police officer with the Clearwater Police Department, was on duty when he stopped a 32-year-old pedestrian at approximately 2:30 a.m. on Sunday, Clearwater Police Chief Eric Gandy explained at a press conference recorded by Fox 13 Tampa Bay.
Arrest reports show that Paloma stopped the woman for jaywalking in a roundabout. He told her that she could be charged with disorderly conduct, and instructed her to get in the passenger's seat of his vehicle. Paloma told the victim that he would give her a ride to her hotel and she wouldn't get in trouble "if she did things for him," the arrest report states.
Gandy said that Paloma proceded to drive the victim around to various places near Clearwater Beach and engage in sexual acts with her before dropping her off near her hotel. The arrest report states that these happened without the consent of the victim.
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Clearwater police chief vows justice, calls incident 'intolerable'
Detectives also found evidence that suggested Paloma tried to tamper with his location tracker for his car during this time, according to Gandy.
"I'm exceptionally upset about the betrayal of trust...It's exceptionally damaging for our reputation and the reputation of everyone in law enforcement," Gandy said. "We take this extremely seriously and it's intolerable in this profession and certainly in the Clearwater Police Department."
He also vowed to follow-through on the case and bring justice to the victim.
Gandy asked anyone else who might have had similar experiences to reach out to the department. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has also been notified in case their support is needed if other people come forward with allegations against Paloma.
Gandy said that his department was made aware because officers were called to the hotel where the victim was staying in response to a domestic dispute. She was arguing with a friend and disclosed to the responding officers what had happened.
Paloma had been an officer at Clearwater Police Department since 2018 with no prior disciplinary record. He was placed on administrative leave early Sunday morning.
Paloma was charged Tuesday with sexual battery by a law enforcement officer and false imprisonment, which are both felony charges. His attorney information was not immediately available. He posted bail, set at $55,000 total, and was released Wednesday morning.