Reporter's Relationship with Cop gets him Fired
/An Odessa (TX) Police Sargent has "resigned" after an internal investigation found he violated a number of police policies.
One of those violations, drinking in a bar with a KOSA Reporter, taking her for a ride in the police car and bringing her to the station.
The police investigation says that, Sgt. Jesse Garcia was at a bar in Odessa when the CBS 7 reporter had shown up and sat next to him the entire evening, according to the PSU report. The report states that Garcia and the CBS 7 reporter ran up a $120 bar tab together. It was during this time that Garcia told investigators that he was conducting an undercover investigation. The report later found that Garcia never notified supervisors that he was conducting an undercover investigation at the bar.
The Sergeant did tell PSU investigators that he and the CBS 7 reporter had several drinks together, which he paid for. However, PSU investigators reviewed the surveillance footage at the bar and said, "(it shows the CBS 7 reporter) showing up and it appears that (the CBS 7 reporter) is looking for someone and when (the CBS 7 reporter) sees Sgt. Garcia (the CBS 7 reporter) goes straight to him. During this time, (the CBS 7 reporter) did not show up with anyone else and hangs out with Sgt. Garcia the whole night. They both leave the bar together," according to the report.
KMID did a story on the cops resignation, but it never did name the KOSA Reporter.