JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A JSO police officer was arrested Thursday morning and is accused of touching a woman who reported a crime without her consent and not allowing her to leave the area while he was on duty, according to JSO Director Brian Kee.
Kee held a news conference Thursday to announce the arrest of 35-year-old John Burgos. He had been working for JSO since 2018.
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Press play below to watch the full video of the arrest announcement
Police said around 4 p.m. Wednesday, Burgos, who was on duty, responded to a domestic violence call involving injuries.
According to JSO, Burgos conducted the investigation, which led to the arrest of the victim’s boyfriend.
After the initial investigation was completed, Burgos returned to that location and met with the victim again, claiming he was conducting an additional investigation.
While he was alone with the victim, Burgos did not allow her to leave the area and touched the victim without valid consent, according to JSO.
According to his arrest report, which is partially redacted, Burgos returned to the victim’s home to provide her information on a Safe Place to reside, however, he removed his body-worn camera prior to meeting with her.
The victim said Burgos told her, ‘You’re a beautiful girl’ and gave her a fist bump. The suspect offered to purchase items for the victim’s baby, but she said she declined.
The suspect then asked her if they could talk upstairs in her unit because Burgos did not want the neighbors to hear their conversation, she told police.
She said Burgos told her he was questioning his decision to only arrest her boyfriend.
At one point, the woman said she realized the Burgos was not wearing a body camera so she attempted to covertly activate her cell phone video. Burgos then said ‘Are you recording me right now?’ and she told police she feared he may arrest her so she stopped recording but she was able to record several minutes of the interaction. What happened next was redacted in the report.
When Burgos left, the victim called JSO and reported Burgos’ conduct immediately.
Detectives with the JSO Integrity Unit began an investigation and arrested Burgos the following day.
He is now facing a third-degree felony charge of false imprisonment and a first-degree misdemeanor charge of battery.
“JSO is appalled by Burgos’s conduct and by the fact that he committed these crimes while representing himself as a public servant,” Kee said in a news conference. “With this arrest, JSO sends a clear message that we will not tolerate when a member of this agency violates the law and threatens the public trust in law enforcement.”
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According to JSO, Burgos has been stripped of all police authority and suspended without pay while there is due process that needs to be followed. He will then be fired, JSO said.
Kee said Burgos had been the subject of multiple investigations.
According to documents, Burgos was the subject of seven different JSO investigations between 2020-2023, including three complaints within JSO that resulted in two different written reprimands.
“He never did anything to get terminated, but he was certainly working towards that and being monitored by his supervisors,” Kee said.
Burgos had his first appearance in court Thursday afternoon. His bond was set at $30,000 and was also ordered to not come in contact with the victim.
His arrest marks the 15th arrest of a JSO employee this year.