A Texan police officer who’d been fired for allegedly giving a homeless person an actual shit sandwich has had his dismissal overturned on a technicality.
What the hell, you might ask.
Well, the 2016 incident saw San Antonio Police Officer Matthew Luckhurst pick up some dog poo, put it between some bread and place the ‘sandwich’ into a Styrofoam container branded with the logo of a local religious group supporting the homeless.
Luckhurst placed it next to a sleeping homeless man who he assumed would ultimately wake up and eat the disgusting contents of his pathetic prank.
Much to the outrage of locals, the disgraced bike officer managed to keep his job after an arbitrator overturned his dismissal due to a date discrepancy.
The technicality meant the officer could argue the incident fell outside the window for allowing him to be indefinitely suspended, KSAT reported.
In his decision, the arbitrator wrote:
The indefinite suspension is overturned due to the violation of the 180-days prohibition.
The arbitrator noted the punishment was ‘reasonable based on just cause for Luckhurst’s action whether intentionally or grossly inappropriate, regarding the fecal sandwich being placed in a container close to a homeless person’.
Another bike officer claimed he told Luckhurst his actions were unacceptable at the scene, explaining he could not just leave the container next to the homeless person.
When the other officer told the five-year veteran of the police force to go back and dispose of it, Luckhurst did bike back to the site.
His colleague assumed he threw it away, but it’s not confirmed he did.
There was no bodycam footage to corroborate witness testimony in the case and authorities were unable to identify or locate the homeless man allegedly victimised by Luckhurst’s actions.
Luckhurst was initially dismissed on October 28 2016, six months or so after the incident was believed to have happened, in May.
On that basis, the dismissal would’ve fallen within the 180-day window required.
But the officer reviewed his medical records and challenged the assumption on the basis he suffered an injury during a martial arts class which left him on light duty between April 6 and June 14 2016.
He claims he would not have been able to ride his bike in May. Still, his record seems to suggest a disturbing fecal prank fascination.
Luckhurst was given a second indefinite suspension in December of 2016 over an allegation he and another male officer had defecated in a toilet assigned to women in the bike patrol office.
The suspension document states:
The toilet was left unflushed by both officers intentionally. Officer Luckhurst and the other officer also obtained a brown substance with the consistency of tapioca and spread it on the seat.
Officer Luckhurst then boasted of these actions to fellow officers. This inappropriate behavior was done after a female officer requested the women’s restroom be kept clean.
Really mature.
If you have a story you want to tell, share it with UNILAD via stories@unilad.co.uk.
A former emo kid who talks too much about 8Chan meme culture, the Kardashian Klan, and how her smartphone is probably killing her. Francesca is a Cardiff University Journalism Masters grad who has done words for BBC, ELLE, The Debrief, DAZED, an art magazine you’ve never heard of and a feminist zine which never went to print.