VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (AP) -- A city police officer was forced to quit his job after admitting that he failed to turn in a traffic ticket he gave to a woman he later took to dinner.
Richard P. Klepach pleaded guilty Tuesday to a misdemeanor offense under an agreement that required him to resign immediately. He also is barred from working in law enforcement in Virginia for 10 years.
Under the agreement, Klepach’s nine-month jail sentence was suspended, and he won’t face additional charges.
In March, a female motorist said Klepach had cited her for a registration violation and for operating a vehicle on a suspended license. He told her over dinner later that night that he would not turn in the ticket, she said.
During a police investigation, Klepach said he declined the woman’s offer of sex in exchange for his dismissing the citations. But after dinner, he said, she declined his request for oral sex.
“Certainly in this instance, we all agree his judgment was exceptionally poor,” said Klepach’s attorney, Andrew M. Sacks.