'Completely unacceptable': Boynton Beach fires officer, citing sex scandal
An officer with the Boynton Beach Police Department turned a call for help into a series of sexual advances before the department announced his firing this month, an investigation found.
The trouble began when officer Patrick Monteith conducted a welfare check on a woman struggling with alcohol dependency. The date of their first interaction is unclear in the documents provided by the police department.
“While [the woman] struggled with her condition and was in need of the appropriate services, Officer Monteith provided no such assistance,” the police department said in a report dated Oct. 19, summarizing an investigation that began months prior.
He reportedly gave the woman his personal cellphone number and returned the next night, after she asked him to bring a drink to help with her alcohol withdrawals. The woman said Monteith walked into her home, sat on the bed and exposed himself.
Monteith denied the claim during an internal investigation. He did, however, acknowledge going to the women's home to bring her a drink and some candy.
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“Once Officer Monteith arrived at [the woman’s] residence on this evening, he did not advise dispatch of his return to the location and did not document the incident or activate his body worn camera as required by policy,” the investigation found.
And just six days after the initial call, the report continues, Monteith sent the woman a video of himself engaging in a “sex act” while wearing his uniform and sitting in his patrol car.
“Officer Monteith admitted that this video was recorded while on duty, but minimized the offense as he maintained it occurred within the privacy of his assigned marked vehicle,” the report said.
The investigation found that Monteith often spoke with the woman through phone calls, text messages and visits to her home — sometimes sharing information about his police work.
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After gathering the courage to file a complaint in late April, the woman told police that she was scared to reject Monteith. She said the officer — a person with authority, along with a gun and a key to her apartment — manipulated her in a time of need.
“Conversely, Officer Monteith characterized their relationship as consensual, but was fully aware of [the woman's] struggle with alcohol dependency and difficulties in her personal life,” the report reads.
The investigation found that Monteith violated four of the department’s rules, regulations and ethical standards:
Conduct Unbecoming of a City Employee or Police Officer, which “requires that officers conduct themselves in a way that does not bring discredit to the Department.”
Abuse of Process, which “prohibits members from sharing information from investigations, operations or law enforcement systems to unauthorized persons.”
Attentiveness to Duty, which “prohibits department members from engaging in any sex act while on-duty or while representing themselves as a member of the department.”
Oath of Office, which “outlines a duty of officers to ‘serve mankind’ and ‘to protect the innocent against deception, and the weak against oppression or intimidation.’”
Assistant chiefs Matthew Zeller and John Dale recommended that Monteith be fired, according to the October report. The department announced Monteith’s firing in a news release on Friday.
“The violations by Officer Patrick Monteith are completely unacceptable and go against the department's core values,” Chief Joseph DeGiulio said in a prepared statement. “Our police officers are held to a higher standard and this type of behavior will not be accepted or tolerated.”
Giuseppe Sabella is a reporter covering Boynton Beach and Lake Worth Beach at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach him at gsabella@pbpost.com. Help support our journalism and subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Why did Boynton Beach police officer Patrick Monteith get fired?
