Cop Accused of Masturbating in Family’s Home Was on Domestic Disturbance Call
The police officer was found “with his erect penis in his left hand” when the woman’s husband entered the kitchen.
San Jose Police Department
A police officer accused of masturbating in a California home was responding to a domestic disturbance call, and not only touched himself in front of the family’s 23-year-old daughter, but also displayed his genitalia to the young woman’s mother, according to a newly released incident report.
Matthew Dominguez, 32, was arrested Thursday and charged with one count of indecent exposure, a misdemeanor. A four-year veteran of the San Jose Police Department, Dominguez was placed on administrative leave following the alleged incident.
“The charged behavior is beyond disturbing,” Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen said in a statement. “Law enforcement officers respond to our homes to help crime victims, not terrorize, traumatize, and create new victims.”
The charge against Dominguez can be traced back to the evening of April 21, when cops were dispatched to a home in San Jose at around 6:30 p.m. The couple living there, identified in the incident report as “Ms. S,” “Mr. A.,” told officers that their son, who suffers from mental illness, had violated a protective order they took out against him. Their daughter, who is not identified in the report, was also at home—and Dominguez, who “took the lead investigative role,” also “took an interest in her,” the report states.
Dominguez “continued to interact almost exclusively with her,” it continues. She told Dominguez her brother had left the house, but gave him an idea of where he might be. Dominguez instructed the other two officers to go look for the son, who had been at the home earlier and removed a GPS tracking device before leaving. Dominguez stayed back and “milled around the home,” the report states.
Roughly 40 minutes later, the daughter asked Dominguez what she should do with her brother’s GPS monitor. He told her to get it, and followed her, along with Ms. S, according to the report.
“At this point they were in the transition area between the dining room and kitchen,” it continues. “The daughter handed the GPS unit to Officer Dominguez, who took it with his right hand. While she was discussing the GPS unit, Ms. S. saw Officer Dominguez unzip his pants, place his hand inside his zipper and began rubbing his crotch. Simultaneously, the daughter saw him rubbing his crotch area.”
Presumably stunned, Ms. S asked her daughter to get her a glass of water, which the young woman mistakenly gave to Dominguez. Ms. S. asked her daughter for another glass, and Dominguez followed her into the kitchen, the report states. When Dominguez turned back around, Ms. S “saw Officer Dominguez’s penis outside of his pants fully exposed.”
The “shocked and scared” women left the house immediately and informed Mr. A about what had happened. The daughter also called her uncle, who lived nearby. Meanwhile, Mr. A ran inside to see what was going on, and spotted Dominguez “facing out of the kitchen with his erect penis in his left hand and his right hand on the counter,” the report says. “Officer Dominguez made eye contact with Mr. A., who promptly turned around and left the house.”
Two minutes later, Dominguez left the home and went back to work. Mr. A and the uncle then told the other two officers, who had since returned to the home, what they had witnessed.
Dominguez was escorted out of a San Jose police facility on Thursday by Chief Anthony Mata, who posted video of the event on YouTube.
“I will not make excuses for criminal conduct from a police officer,” Mata said in a statement. “We are and should be held to the highest standards. That is what the public expects of us and what I expect of the men and women who serve and protect San Jose.”
If convicted, Dominguez faces a year in jail and 10 years on the sex offender registry.
