FORT PIERCE, Fla. – A former Sanford Police officer was arrested on a sexual battery charge after a woman accused him of forcing her to engage in a sex act with him so she wouldn't be taken to jail, the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office said.
St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office deputy Evan Cramer, 28, was on patrol around 12:30 a.m. Tuesday when he pulled over a woman and discovered she had warrants issued for her arrest.
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Instead of calling for backup, Cramer told the woman he wouldn't take her to jail if she would engage in a sex act with him, St. Lucie County Sheriff Ken Mascara said. Cramer drove the woman 1.7 miles away to a vacant lot and the sex act took place, according to a news release.
The woman went to Lawnwood Regional Medical Center in Fort Pierce at 8 p.m. Tuesday and reported the assault, deputies said.
“Immediately, myself, chief deputy, director of law enforcement, criminal investigations division commander and head of Internal Affairs responded and authorized a full investigation into these claims,” Mascara said. “Multiple detectives were called in to conduct this investigation, and sadly, these allegations were substantiated and one of our own was identified.”
Cramer is being held at the St. Lucie County Jail without bond on sexual assault/battery and unlawful compensation charges.
The St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office hired Cramer as a reserve deputy on May 1 and then hired him full-time Oct. 1. Prior to that, Cramer had been working for the Sanford Police Department. He resigned from there in January 2016 after the chief of police recommended that he be terminated, according to documents provided by the Sanford Police Department.
Within a six-month period, Cramer faced 12 misconduct accusations for not following a superior's instruction, inappropriate language in public, using authority to gain compliance and missing traffic court, according to a memorandum. The department had also received complaints about Cramer's driving.
In one instance, Cramer was found to be at fault in a traffic crash while driving in one of the department's unmarked vehicles.
He's also accused of being late for briefing meetings, missing court and not reporting for roll call.
Full details of all 12 accusations were not provided.
"Under these circumstances, Ofc. Cramer's further employment would constitute an unjustified risk for the department," Captain Anthony Raimondo wrote in a memorandum. "It is my opinion that Ofc. Cramer should be released from service for failing to meet probationary standards."
Cramer is scheduled to appear in court Thursday.