FORT MYERS, Fla. — A Florida police captain is accused of soliciting a prostitute, perjury and official misconduct, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
Jay Rodriguez, 46, of Cape Coral, was arrested Tuesday and booked into the Lee County Jail, the FDLE said in a news release. Rodriguez is a captain with the Fort Myers Police Department and has been on paid leave since February, according to The News-Press of Fort Myers.
According to the FDLE release, on March 14, 2013, Rodriguez solicited and engaged in prostitution with a female massage therapist while working undercover during a massage parlor operation in Fort Myers. The FDLE claimed Rodriguez wrote a false account of his actions, which was used to arrest two women at the massage parlor.
Rodriquez was released on a $4,000 bail, according to the Lee County Sheriff's Office. He is now on unpaid administrative leave, according to a news release from the Fort Myers Police Department.
The FDLE release said Rodriguez committed perjury on Jan. 8, 2019, when he made a false statement under oath during an internal investigation. According to investigators, Rodriguez said he never had sex while he was on duty.
"Although the incident occurred 3 years prior to my arrival, I take any allegations of misconduct by our officers seriously," Fort Myers police Chief Derrick Diggs said in a statement. "His actions should in no way reflect on the character and integrity of this organization or the men and women who tirelessly work every day to protect the good people of Fort Myers."