A former Florida cop allegedly used local and state law enforcement databases to look for women to date and have sex with, officials say.
An investigation by the Bradenton Police Department revealed that former Officer Leonel Marines targeted women, using his position to approach them for dates, Chief Melanie Bevan said. He may have had sex with some of them, even while on duty, she said.
Bevan said her department had reached out to as many as 150 women during the course of their investigation; she says Marines may have targeted a smaller number of those women.
By law, the databases are only supposed to be used for official police business.
Bevan, speaking at a news conference on March 7, called the revelation “truly a disturbing situation.” She said she’d personally met with many of the women Marines allegedly targeted to tell them that “Marines’ actions are not a representation of those who so proudly wear this uniform and badge and also simply to tell them, ‘I’m sorry.'”