‘Sleazy police officer offered “free passes” in return for sexual favors’
A sleazy police officer offered locals ‘free passes’ if they got in trouble in return for sexual favors, it is claimed by law enforcement officials.
Shaun Patrick Appler, 48, was arrested on Wednesday due to an investigation when he worked as a Wrightsville Beach police officer in North Carolina, according to law enforcement officials.
A statement from the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation confirmed that Appler allegedly asked nude photos and sex in exchange for ‘staying out of trouble when it comes to any law enforcement encounters on the beach.’
Previous news reports showed that Appler was going to be terminated in 2012 from an internal complaint but the Police Chief at the time allowed him to be reinstated.
Appler’s attorney Woody White said that Appler had fully cooperated with the investigation and that he had ‘dutifully’ served his community for nearly 20 years.
‘Some acts that appear criminal at first glance may not be unlawful when all the facts are known,’ White said. ‘Since the grand jury process is antiquated and cloaked in secrecy, we do not know what was actually said, nor by whom.’
White also said that his client ‘has not been and never was arrested’ even when the law enforcement officials said so in their statement.
‘Your headlines to that effect are wrong,’ he said. ‘I accompanied him this morning to the courthouse, not the detention center, where he appeared and was released after being given an unsecured bond.’
Appler’s attorney was adamant about his client’s innocence and believed these allegations to be a case of misconstrued facts.
‘It is important to remind the public that every American brought into the legal system is presumed innocent,’ he said. ‘It is too early in this case for anyone in this community to make these determinations or to interpret the State´s allegations as the only facts in the case.’
According to police, Appler has been charged with two felony counts of bribery by a public official and was released without the requirement of putting up cash for his $5,000 bond.
Law enforcement said the investigation is still ongoing.
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