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Girl forced to choose from doing topless jumping jacks or going to jail.
Reuters
Posted May 15 2003, 4:01 PM EDT
PENSACOLA -- A Florida policeman resigned after a teenager complained that he made her do jumping jacks while topless to avoid arrest, Pensacola police said Thursday.
The 16-year-old and a 19-year-old man were kissing in a parked car when Officer Patrick Shields confronted them, police said.
The officer told them they could be arrested on trespassing and lewdness charges and asked them to suggest an alternative punishment, adding that the girl's punishment should be ''embarrassing,'' the police report said.
She offered to do jumping jacks and push-ups and ``Shields agreed and then shined his flashlight on the female while she did five jumping jacks without her shirt,'' the report said. The man did 20 jumping jacks, also shirtless, and Shields let them go, police said.
Police said the teens said they had had their shirts and trousers on when they got out of the car, but removed their shirts before doing the exercises.
The teens' parents complained to police. When questioned, Shields said he was trying to scare them and had never intended to arrest them. ``He did not deny making the couple do exercises but said the female was fully clothed when she did the jumping jacks.''
Shields, 31, resigned Wednesday and was still under criminal investigation, police said.
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