A police officer has been fired for the second time for allegedly feeding a poo sandwich to a homeless person.
It was announced on Thursday that Officer Matthew Luckhurst had been fired from the police department in Floresville, Texas.
Two years after he was fired from neighbouring San Antonio Police Department (SAPD) over the same 2016 incident.
His most recent firing came after a wave of public fury over how the officer could be rehired by a police force after being fired for poor conduct.
In the 2016 incident, Luckhurst had boasted to a colleague that “he had picked up some faeces, placed it in a slice of bread, and put it in a Styrofoam container next to the unknown homeless male.”
The release continued: “The officer reported that he told Luckhurst to go back and throw it away. The officer said he saw Luckhurst go back and he assumed that Luckhurst discarded the container.”
Luckhurst was reported to Internal Affairs and suspended although it wasn't 2020 that he was finally fired following years of arbitration over multiple incidents.
The arbitrator ruled the department had missed a 180-day legal window to discipline him over the 'poo-sandwich' incident so he was reinstated before finally being fired for a second 2016 poo incident, reported San Antonio Express-News.
Then, Luckhurst was accused of pooping in a woman's restroom stall at the department's Bike Patrol Office and spreading a brown pudding-like substance on the seat.
Just five months after being fired, Floresville Police Department (FPD), in a small city just 45km from San Antonio, hired him as a reserve officer.
City Mayor Cissy Gonzalez-Dippel announced the officer had been fired on Thursday December 15.
She said: "Upon verifying with Floresville City Manager Andy Joslin, Mr. Luckhurst was released from employment from the city of Floresville as of Yesterday."
She said since learning about the officer's "very disturbing" history via San Antonio Express-News ' initial report, her office had been "inundated with calls, messages and emails".
Mayor Gonzalez-Dippel emphasised neither the mayor or the city council take any role in hiring FPD officers but did say the hiring process had been changed.
She said: "We rely on our management team to do their due diligence to hire the finest to serve our community."
A statement from Floresville Police Department published before his firing had been announced read: "Unfortunately, the Floresville Police Department was not Fully (sic) aware of the entire incident involving the alleged incident, as the same individual had previously been issued a general discharge by the previous law enforcement agency that he was employed with.
"Please rest assured that the City of Floresville and FPD does not condone any of the alleged actions and will do whatever is necessary to ensure the continued safety of its citizens."
Locals were furious Luckhurst could be rehired without the proper checks made.
One commented beneath FPD's Facebook statement: "Seriously??? They didn’t know the whole story??? I have received post, emails, texts about his hiring. I grew up in Floresville. This is embarrassing. I am fully aware of this guy’s background. It was all over the news!!! Not cop material!!!"
Another said: "So one one does a proper background check before give inflated egos badges and guns? Gods, do better. This is UNACCEPTABLE".
Floresville Police Department have been contacted for comment.
