A member of the Prince George’s County Police Department (PGPD) was fired after a video of him kissing a woman and getting into the backseat of his police cruiser with her went viral last year.
According to a report from the Washington Post, Cpl. Francesco Marlett was fired after investigators found that he was twice dispatched to calls reporting domestic incidents that included weapons, only to arrive late because he was meeting with the woman at the park, according to the administrative hearing board that ordered his firing.
In the first incident, in August 2023, he left nine minutes after accepting the call. In the other incident, on the day the viral video was shot, it took him 17 minutes to leave the park, which was located outside his assigned sector.
The video, which was posted on social media and racked up millions of views, showed Marlett embracing and seemingly kissing a woman before escorting her to the back of his police SUV and getting in the back of the vehicle with her.
On Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2023, PGPD launched an internal affairs investigation into Marlett. At the time, he was suspended with pay but his police powers were taken away, as previously reported.
Prince George’s County police officials said that he had problems in the past. In 2016, Marlett was disciplined for allegations of child abuse and domestic violence but an investigation found that the “charges were unfounded,” a statement from police officials said.
Officials also said that in the alleged child abuse case, Marlett was removed from “the next promotional cycle” and fined $1,500 for his actions.
