Police: Patchogue safety officer assaulted women leaving bar after offering help
PATCHOGUE, Suffolk County (WABC) -- A public safety officer in Suffolk County is accused of sexually assaulting at least two women while he was on duty.
Patchogue Village Code Enforcement Officer Dennis Fajardo, 28, is charged with sexual misconduct and forcible touching, authorities said Thursday.
Fajardo is accused of picking up two women on separate occasions in a Patchogue Public Safety vehicle while in uniform. One incident happened on April 15 and the other on May 13.
Both women said it happened when they left a bar in downtown Patchogue in the early hours of the morning. In one instance he offered to drive the woman to her vehicle and and in the other instance he offered to drive her home, officials said.
Police say in both cases Fajardo drove the women around, parked the car and forcibly touched them.
Fajardo pled not-guilty to the charges and was released without bail. His attorney says he has the full, unconditional support of his family and wife.
The mayor of Patchogue said Fajardo has worked with the public safety department part-time for the past year. He said he has been suspended and will soon be fired.
"I'm the mayor of a small village, when these kinds of things happen, it becomes very personal," Mayor Paul Pontieri Jr. said. "It becomes personal because it's in the community that you live in."
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