Club Harem case: Winter Park cop fired for dating stripper, lying about it
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March 10, 2010|By Willoughby Mariano, Orlando Sentinel
They met at a Winter Park strip joint.
Michelle Merry was a topless dancer. Luis Lopez, a regular, was a construction worker.
About 1 a.m. May 17, 2008, Lopez wished Merry "happy birthday" in a text message. They met up in downtown Orlando, ate pizza and held hands. He walked her to her door and they kissed, she testified.
Little did Merry know that Lopez was really Carlos Calderon, an undercover Winter Park police detective spearheading a narcotics investigation that would shut down the club three months later.
That kiss recently cost Calderon, 31, his job.
An internal police investigation found he lied when he denied having a romantic relationship with Merry, 38. Calderon is appealing the decision, and union representatives say the case against him is weak.
But attorneys also interviewed witnesses who said Calderon did more than kiss a stripper: He engaged in sexual fantasy role playing with Merry while he was attending police training; repeatedly bought drinks for an underage topless dancer; and spent about $4,200 on drinks and exotic dances to buy $275 worth of cocaine.
Those accusations put in limbo cases against a former Club Harem dancer, waitress and three customers. Club attorney Steve Mason, who filed a Sept. 29 complaint that led to Calderon's dismissal, said the violations are evidence Winter Park police failed to supervise its officer properly.
"Fundamentally, it's just a lack of oversight," Mason said.
A Winter Park police official would not comment, saying the department will not speak publicly until Calderon's appeal is resolved.
The internal investigation found Calderon engaged in improper conduct, conduct unbecoming an officer and failing to perform an official duty. He was fired Feb. 16.
"Unfortunately, your entire response to this investigation has been one of equivocation, evasiveness and untruthfulness, police Chief Brett Railey wrote to Calderon.
Union representative Jeff Candage argues that the department is firing Calderon based on information from defense attorneys who hope to discredit the officer to bolster their cases.
The agency never interviewed Merry independently — a major oversight, Candage said.
"The chief has a suspicion based largely on his ignorance of how things are done in a long-term undercover operation and is willing to ruin a good cop's career and reputation based on his suspicion," Candage said.
http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2010…
They met at a Winter Park strip joint.
Michelle Merry was a topless dancer. Luis Lopez, a regular, was a construction worker.
About 1 a.m. May 17, 2008, Lopez wished Merry "happy birthday" in a text message. They met up in downtown Orlando, ate pizza and held hands. He walked her to her door and they kissed, she testified.
Little did Merry know that Lopez was really Carlos Calderon, an undercover Winter Park police detective spearheading a narcotics investigation that would shut down the club three months later.
That kiss recently cost Calderon, 31, his job.
An internal police investigation found he lied when he denied having a romantic relationship with Merry, 38. Calderon is appealing the decision, and union representatives say the case against him is weak.
But attorneys also interviewed witnesses who said Calderon did more than kiss a stripper: He engaged in sexual fantasy role playing with Merry while he was attending police training; repeatedly bought drinks for an underage topless dancer; and spent about $4,200 on drinks and exotic dances to buy $275 worth of cocaine.
Those accusations put in limbo cases against a former Club Harem dancer, waitress and three customers. Club attorney Steve Mason, who filed a Sept. 29 complaint that led to Calderon's dismissal, said the violations are evidence Winter Park police failed to supervise its officer properly.
"Fundamentally, it's just a lack of oversight," Mason said.
A Winter Park police official would not comment, saying the department will not speak publicly until Calderon's appeal is resolved.
The internal investigation found Calderon engaged in improper conduct, conduct unbecoming an officer and failing to perform an official duty. He was fired Feb. 16.
"Unfortunately, your entire response to this investigation has been one of equivocation, evasiveness and untruthfulness, police Chief Brett Railey wrote to Calderon.
Union representative Jeff Candage argues that the department is firing Calderon based on information from defense attorneys who hope to discredit the officer to bolster their cases.
The agency never interviewed Merry independently — a major oversight, Candage said.
"The chief has a suspicion based largely on his ignorance of how things are done in a long-term undercover operation and is willing to ruin a good cop's career and reputation based on his suspicion," Candage said.
http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2010…
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4 comments
They had been trying to shut down Ricks and Ricks had a camera in the VIP room that refuted all their reports. Ooops.
Even though he was making 75k at my workplace, bill collectors have been calling for him since he left. Might have something to do the jaguar he was driving and the teenage girl (not his daughter) that met him after work everyday.