ON DUTY

Ex-Florida Police Officer Accused of Misusing Badge to Get Dates With Women

The FBI is investigating the officer’s use of police databases to meet women.

A former Florida police officer is being investigated by the FBI after allegedly misusing his badge and police databases for years to date women. Leonel Marines, 36, allegedly used his position as an officer to target at least 150 women for dates or to have sex with them while on-duty, authorities said Thursday. “... Marines was not utilizing this data for law enforcement purposes whatsoever,” Bradenton Police Chief Melanie Bevan said at a press conference Thursday. “Instead, he was using it in a variety of ways via social media, cold telephone calls, visits to their homes under the guise of being there for police business, you name it, to try and get dates with these women.” The majority of the women he targeted were Hispanic, and many did not speak English. Authorities launched an investigation in June after a woman filed a complaint against Marines, accusing him of following her without reason. Marines resigned from the force in October, but the department’s internal investigation continued until recently.

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