A former Honolulu police officer has been sentenced to four years in prison for forcing a homeless man to lick a urinal to avoid being arrested.
John Rabago and another officer found the man in a stall of a public restroom at a mall while checking out a nuisance complaint in 2018.
The man reportedly told the cop he would do anything to avoid being arrested.
He told the man that to avoid arrest, he would have to lick the urinal and threatened to beat the him and stuff his face in a toilet if he didn’t do so.
The judge, US District Judge Leslie Kobayashi, says Rabago then grabbed the man’s shoulder, held him down and stepped on his legs to keep him on his knees until he licked the urinal.
At his sentencing, Rabago apologized saying he was not proud of his actions.
Kobayashi admonished him saying Rabago had taken an oath to protect and serve, but instead took advantage of someone poor and homeless.
“You took from him his only possession: his dignity as a human being.”
The other responding officer is also facing charges.