Idaho police captain placed on leave after being charged with indecent exposure
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LEWISTON (Lewiston Tribune) — Lewiston Police Department Capt. Rick Fuentes has been placed on paid administrative leave after he was charged with indecent exposure at a Coeur d’Alene hotel.
Fuentes was charged with the misdemeanor, and after reviewing the alleged incident, Lewiston Police Chief Jason Kuzik recommended Fuentes be placed on administrative leave, which was approved by Mayor Dan Johnson, according to a news release from the city of Lewiston that was distributed at 5 p.m. Monday, Aug. 28.
“My expectation for each member of the Lewiston Police Department is to conduct themselves in a manner that upholds the standards and expectations of the department on and off duty,” Kuzik said in the news release.
The incident occurred when an officer with the Coeur d’Alene Police Department responded at 12:15 a.m. Aug. 19 to Quality Inn at 280 W. Appleway Ave. in Coeur d’Alene after a report of indecent exposure. A female employee of the hotel reported the incident and stated a group of teenagers told her there were four individuals allegedly naked in the pool area, two women and two men, including Fuentes. One of the men and one of the women were from Kuna. The hotel employee confronted the individuals and told them their “behavior was not acceptable and they needed to leave the pool,” according to the probable cause affidavit.
The affidavit said one of the men allegedly became confrontational with the hotel employee and got within a few feet of her and was arguing with her. He said that there was “no law that applies to the hotel,” according to the affidavit. The affidavit didn’t say which man confronted the hotel employee.
The employee didn’t initially call law enforcement because she thought she could ask them to put on their clothes and return to their room. However, the alleged aggressive behavior, which made her shake, caused her to call law enforcement, according to the affidavit.
Another employee saw the incident and all four people were allegedly completely naked. The officer spoke with the teenagers and one told the officer she made eye contact with one the naked individuals, which made her believe they knew she was there. The girl also reported to police that one of the women was allegedly on top of one of the men in the pool, which made her believe they were having sex. The pool area also had a pile of clothes, according to the affidavit.
The teenagers left the pool area, waited five minutes and returned and allegedly saw the people were still unclothed. They then reported the situation to the hotel staff, according to the affidavit.
Officers went to the room of the individuals and spoke with all four of them, including Fuentes. The other man didn’t deny the incident but told the officer “to read the rule on the door of the pool that advised no minors were allowed in the pool area at that time,” according to the affidavit. The affidavit also states the man “appeared more concerned with the fact that juveniles were in the pool area than with the fact that juveniles were subject to the nudity and inappropriate behavior of adults in an area in which kids and other guests should be expected.”
All four were placed under arrest for indecent exposure and were booked on the charges. Fuentes paid a total $315 for his bond, according to court documents.
Fuentes will have a court appearance on the charges Sept. 18. He is being represented by Luke Crawford of Sullivan Law Office and has entered a not guilty plea. The Tribune contacted the law office, which said it doesn’t comment on pending cases.
Fuentes was accused of sexual harassment after an off-duty Halloween party in October 2010 at the Lewiston-Nez Perce County Regional Airport. Fuentes remained employed full time with the department during the investigation, and the Idaho Peace Officer Standards and Training Council decided in 2013 to allow Fuentes to keep his certification.