A female Texas police sergeant has been fired by the department for allegedly having sex with another officer in a patrol car while on duty. Former Sgt. Kellie Metz and Deputy Patrick Byrne, then employed at the Comal County Sheriff's Office, supposedly engaged in sex while parked at the Antler Cafe, a popular chicken fried steak restaurant located north of San Antonio.
Metz, a six-year veteran of the CCSO, was fired on January 19 for rules violations, including those pertaining to professional conduct, employee fraternization, and the use of body-worn cameras. The following day, Byrne, a two-year CCSO veteran, also resigned from the organization.
Sex While on Duty
According to the chief of his most recent workplace, the Somerset Police Department, Byrne was fired from CCSO for lying when internal affairs investigators first questioned him about the relationship.
A witness told investigators that "he heard moaning sounds like sexual gratification coming from the area of the patrol units," San Antonio TV station KSAT reported. Metz and Byrne were having sex at that time inside their patrol car.
David Brakhage, the man who allegedly overheard the sexual encounter while passing by, admitted to throwing a rock at the patrol car. As a result, he faced a charge of criminal mischief.
However, neither Metz nor Byrne reported the damage caused by the rock to the cruiser. Moreover, during the alleged sexual encounter in May, both officers had turned off their body-worn cameras, the internal affairs investigation concluded.
When Metz, who held a supervisory position within the department, was questioned about the incident in December, she claimed that she had been instructing Byrne on how to conduct "felony traffic stops." She denied engaging in any sexual activity with him at that time.
"You see how things just aren't looking good ... now a big old can of worms are opened up? It doesn't look good," an investigator reportedly told Metz as she was being questioned, the New York Post reported.
Too Many Affairs
According to media reports, Metz was subsequently fired from her job for failing to disclose her romantic involvement with another officer. Metz later confessed to having engaged in sexual activity with Byrne on two occasions.
However, she claimed that the encounters took place at her home in October and November of 2022.
Metz defended her choice not to disclose the true nature of her relationship with Byrne, who had only been on the force for a short period of time, by suggesting that it was merely a casual and temporary affair.
"The two meetings were isolated meetings and there was no intention to pursue anything further," Metz stated as her reason for not reporting her relationship and the incident of sexual encounter inside the patrol car with Byrne.
It appears that the department did not reach a definitive conclusion regarding whether Metz and Byrne engaged in sexual activity while on duty. However, Metz was still fired from her job for violating professional conduct, engaging in employee fraternization, and failing to use body-worn cameras as required.
The termination was based on these violations, regardless of whether the alleged sexual encounters occurred during duty hours.
Byrne also left the department and joined the Somerset Police Department. However, he has since moved on from there as well.
The charges against Brakhage for throwing the rock at the patrol car were dropped.
