Woman says officer exposed
himself to her By Sarah Newell Williamson/News & Record
by Sarah Newell Williamson
GREENSBORO — A Greensboro
police officer is suspended without pay after being arrested and charged with
indecent exposure.
Officer J.W. Way, 41, is
accused of exposing himself to a woman on Aug. 27 while on duty, according to
Greensboro police.
Way, who is assigned to the
Southern Patrol Division, was at the woman’s job in the southern portion of the
city after getting a report of a hit-and-run in that area, police spokeswoman
Susan Danielsen said.
Danielsen would not specify
what, exactly, Way was doing at the business or identify the business.
This was not the first time Way
and the woman met, Danielsen said, but she declined to provide more specifics
to protect the identity of the woman.
The victim filed a report on
Sept. 10.
“The victim and the witness
were discussing how to proceed,” Danielsen said.
Officers with the department’s
Professional Standards Division began an investigation, gathering enough
information for Way to be suspended with pay on Sept. 12, according to police.
Police also conducted a
criminal investigation into the woman’s report.
On Wednesday, police arrested
Way on a charge of misdemeanor indecent exposure and suspended him without pay,
Danielsen said.
“We are deeply disturbed by
this incident,” Interim Police Chief Anita Holder said. “The men and women in
GPD who do the right thing day in and day out feel betrayed by any officer’s
decision that casts us in an unprofessional light.”
Way will have a disciplinary
hearing, possibly on Monday, Danielsen said.
If Way is convicted, he will be
fired, she said.
However, an officer can be
convicted of a misdemeanor and still work with the police department. Whether
he or she will still be employed depends on the seriousness of the offense.
“Writing a check that bounces,
for example, might not result in termination,” Danielsen said. “A conviction of
a misdemeanor of a more serious nature, or one that discredits the
organization, would result in termination.”
Way, who earns $45,778
annually, joined the department on Feb. 16, 2005. He has been promoted twice,
once in August 2007 and again in March, Danielsen said. He hasn’t had any
demotions, she said.
