Cop Faces Prison Over Cruel Choice Given to Homeless Man

A police officer in Hawaii is expected to lose his badge and go to prison because of the cruel choice he presented to a homeless man. In court Monday, Honolulu officer John Rabago admitted that he told the man the only way he could avoid arrest was to lick the urinal in a public bathroom, reports Hawaii News Now. The man did so and was allowed to leave. Rabago was charged with conspiring to deprive the man of his civil rights, reports NBC News. He is now expected to be fired from the force, and he faces up to 30 months in jail. Rabago initially denied the charges, but he confessed in court Monday.

"In this case, justice has prevailed because John Rabago has admitted that he violated the victim's constitutional rights," said Rabago's attorney, Megan Kau. "He’s very remorseful, which is why he took responsibility." A fellow officer, Reginald Ramones, was present, and he testified against Rabago. Ramones pleaded guilty to lesser charges and already has left the force. He told prosecutors that Rabago had done something similar previously when he made a homeless man stick his head in a public toilet. (More police brutality stories.)