Two Texas police officers were fired following an investigation into an alleged domestic violence incident while dating.
According to local ABC affiliate KSAT, Cassidy Costa, whose age was not disclosed, was fired from the San Antonio Police Department on April 30 following her indefinite suspension. According to KSAT, Costa, a three-year police veteran, was fired for violating rules and demonstrating a lack of character.
Costa was accused of assaulting another former SAPD officer, Patrick Earles, who allegedly told an unnamed SAPD colleague what Costa did. The SAPD stated that Costa’s actions were “detrimental to effective law enforcement and the needs of the San Antonio Police Department.”
However, when Earles was interviewed by the SAPD’s Special Victims Unit, he told a contradictory story.
According to records obtained by KENS, a local CBS affiliate, the SAPD was first notified of a “family violence incident” involving Costa and Earles after a third, unnamed officer received texts from Earles detailing what had occurred. According to the documents, Earles wrote to the other officer, “You know how stupid it is that I had to go to work and lie about how I got a black eye?” He told the other officer, referring to Costa, “Cuz she busted my eye open.”
According to the records, Earles informed the other officer that Costa “sometimes shoves her hands in my mouth and pulls down in my lip from between my lip and gums [too] so I can stop talking.”
When Earles was questioned about the alleged physical abuse during his interview with the SVU, he downplayed the incidents with Costa. According to records from his own suspension obtained by KENS, he stated that the fights were “nothing physical” and “just a lot of arguing.”
He stated that he was “not sure how it got reported like that.”
Following the interview, Earles allegedly told his colleague, “Well, I can’t tell SVU the truth.” He also expressed concern about how reporting the assaults would affect Costa’s career. According to KENS, Earles’ colleague urged him to be honest, to which he replied, “No, I can’t do that.”
Earles was put on indefinite suspension on April 10.
KSAT obtained a letter filed on Costa’s behalf stating that she is appealing her firing and that Earles has recanted his claims of assault up to 30 times. According to the letter, if the SAPD believed there had been an assault, Earles would have committed perjury.
No criminal charges have been filed against Costa or Earles.
