SANFORD, Fla. – The lieutenant who was accused of punching a woman in the face while he was off-duty resigned on Tuesday from the Sanford Police Department.
Joseph Santiago was arrested on April 2 on domestic violence charges and was relieved of duty while the investigation was ongoing.
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Santiago reached an agreement with the state attorney's office and then submitted a letter of resignation to the Sanford Police Department, according to a release.
His resignation was made retroactive to April 11, and he also relinquished his law enforcement certificate as of Tuesday, police said.
“Reports of this nature are taken very seriously by this department, and they are addressed and investigated immediately," said Sanford police Chief Cecil Smith in a release. "We hold our officers to a higher standard of conduct, and we do not view Santiago’s off-duty actions as a reflection of the behavior and conduct of the officers of this department.”