Exclusive: Plantation PD Detective Fired For Texting Sexually Explicit Video To Woman
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PLANTATION (CBSMiami) – A veteran Plantation Police detective is off the force after investigators say he sent a sexually explicit video of himself to a woman in a case he was investigating.
Former Plantation Police Department Detective Peter Saglio says that video was meant for his wife and he accidentally sent it to the victim. However, the victim told investigators she felt the detective was setting her up for that video all along.
According to hundreds of pages of investigative documents released by the police department on Wednesday, Saglio admits he made the sexually explicit video of himself engaged in a sex act and texted it while he was at the Plantation police offices. The video was sent March 2015. The woman who received the video immediately contacted a lawyer, who called Saglio and told him to leave the woman alone.
The woman told investigators that she felt Saglio was setting her up for this with suggestive texts about her looks and other personal comments.
"I recognized the innuendo's from the beginning," she said.
She told detectives that Saglio texted her often – the pair exchanged more than 500 texts – and in one text he told her, "…any other detective would have thrown your case out as insignificant, you're lucky you got me on the case, you owe me big time."
She also recalled other texts including:
"I'll be up later if you get bored."
"U know you can relieve stress many ways."
"I'm sure you are looking fine right now."
Investigators called the texts "flirtatious" and "personal," but during the conversations Saglio told police the woman never raised any concerns with him over the contents.
Saglio told investigators he was "…just being friendly."
When she received the sexual video the woman remembered, "…I basically freaked out. I started screaming, 'Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God."
She doesn't believe it was accidental.
"I believe he was priming me to send that video, asking me you know, 'Can I trust you, do you trust me?'" she told police.
The documents also lay out Saglio's side. He said the video was meant for his wife, who works for the Broward County State Attorney's Office.
The final report states that "Detetive Saglio claimed that he was engaged in two different texting conversations on his personal Apple iPod device, one of a personal nature and one with (the victim) regarding her case. His contention was that he inadvertently sent the video to (the victim)."
Saglio, a veteran of 20 years at the department, told investigators "…I wasn't sexually attracted to (the woman who received the video) nor was I pursuing any sort of physical relationship with her."
Saglio immediately told his superiors about the video and the fact that he sent it. Saglio also told police that he destroyed the device on which he recorded the act.
But department investigators did not buy it. They wrote that Saglio's text messages do not support his assertion that he didn't want a relationship with her.
"Most of these messages lacked the maturity and professionalism expected from a 20-year veteran officer of the Plantation Police Department and were an embarrassment to read."
As for the video, investigators wrote it "has seriously impaired his ability to perform as a law enforcement officer for the Plantation Police Department and the anticipated media response to this incident will undoubtedly cast the entire agency in a negative light."
The chief of police, W. Howard Harrison, terminated Saglio in a letter sent on April 25. In the letter, Chief Harrison writes, "You have served as an invaluable leader on our SWAT team, a well-respected police instructor, and a mentor to our newer police officers." The Chief added that Saglio had an unblemished record.
However, the letter goes on to say that, "You have committed a violation of policy that cannot be corrected through any length of suspension or training. Your conduct is reflective of a standard of moral character unacceptable for continued service as a police officer for the Plantation Police Department."
The Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office investigated the case and declined to pursue criminal charges writing, "…the conduct of Det. Saglio in sending the video to (the victim) cannot be construed as a criminal violation of law. The facts are consistent with the video being sent accidentally or inadvertently, which does not rise to the level that it was done with criminal intent."
The attorney for Saglio, Gene Gibbons, sent a statement to CBS4 News on Wednesday.
It reads in part, "The City's decision to terminate Detectvie Saglio's employment is completely unjustified and seems grounded more on their fear of the media attention than on the relevant facts of the case. Detective Saglio's wife stands by her husband in this matter and they both look forward to having this horrible decision reviewed by an impartial Arbitrator."
The woman who received the video filed a notice of intent to sue Saglio, the city of Plantation and the Plantation Police Department for sexual harassment.
"We will also pursue legal action against those entities for negligent hiring, negligent training and negligent supervision for the actions of Detective Saglio," the notice stated.