A former Muscatine police officer fired for alleged felony conduct has been fired by one other metropolis after a drug bust led to his previous conduct being revealed.
Metropolis information point out that Juan D. Lopez labored as a Muscatine police officer from August 2008 to December 2011, when he was fired by the town. In line with latest findings by an administrative regulation choose, metropolis information associated to Lopez's pre-disciplinary listening to and termination discover state that Lopez was fired for dishonesty throughout a police investigation, making an attempt to intrude with a police investigation, and interesting in an unspecified type of felony conduct.
In October 2021, Lopez was employed by the Metropolis of Iowa Metropolis as a full-time constructing inspector. As a part of his job, he was tasked with inspecting pavements, sewer traces and different tasks to make sure they met metropolis specs.
Courtroom information point out that Lopez was arrested at work on December 1, 2023, and was charged with felony possession of cocaine with intent to ship. Police mentioned that in an ongoing narcotics investigation, a United States Postal Service inspector intercepted a bundle delivered to Lopez's condominium. In line with police, the names of the alleged sender and recipient of the bundle had been aliases recognized for use by Lopez, and the bundle contained 490 grams of cocaine.
Police later obtained search warrants for Lopez's condominium and automobiles and allegedly discovered six firearms, a number of bins of ammunition, two digital scales coated in drug residue, and quite a few packaging supplies in line with drug distribution. .
When Lopez's supervisors discovered of the arrest, they questioned him and, in response to Iowa Metropolis officers, Lopez mentioned he didn’t know why he was being arrested. When questioned additional, he allegedly admitted partaking in some type of criminal activity about 10 years in the past, however claimed he now not did it.
In line with state information, Lopez admitted he deliberately omitted from his job utility any point out of his earlier work as a Muscatine police officer and claimed he had no data of any medication despatched to the his condominium.
On December 12, 2023, Lopez was fired for failing to reveal his employment with the Muscatine police on his job utility, partaking in conduct that would replicate unfavorably on the town, and sustaining a firearm in his automobile whereas it was parked on metropolis property. .
A number of weeks later, Johnson County prosecutors agreed to drop the felony drug cost towards Lopez in alternate for a responsible plea to a cost of not having a tax stamp for the drug in query. He was fined $1,025, obtained a five-year suspended jail sentence and was positioned on probation for 2 years.
Chatting with the Iowa Capital Dispatch on Wednesday, Lopez declined to touch upon his arrest or his previous work with the Muscatine Police Division.
After he was fired from Iowa Metropolis, Lopez filed for unemployment and picked up $3,492 in advantages. The town appealed the choice to grant Lopez advantages and the matter went to a listening to earlier than Administrative Regulation Decide Elizabeth A. Johnson. In a latest ruling, Johnson dominated that Lopez was ineligible for advantages.
“Not like many separations involving dishonesty, this case doesn’t require a credibility willpower,” Johnson mentioned in his choice. “(Lopez) admitted that he deliberately omitted his employment with the Muscatine Police Division from his job utility, and admitted that he carried a firearm on metropolis property. Omitting his employment beforehand, (he) misrepresented his historical past and his character to the town of Iowa Metropolis.
That omission, Johnson mentioned, prevented officers in Iowa Metropolis from contacting Muscatine police and studying concerning the circumstances surrounding his launch in 2011. Lopez's conduct, Johnson mentioned, had “breached the belief of the employer past restore” and was endangering most of the people.
Lopez is required to repay the $3,492 in unemployment advantages already collected, Johnson mentioned.
Former Muscatine police officer fired from second job after drug arrest
