Officer filmed teen performing sex act and sent video to co-workers, Florida cops say

A police officer recorded a 17-year-old performing a sex act at his home in Florida and sent the video to his co-workers, who then reported him, authorities said.

Markanthony Fernandez, 24, now faces an array of charges in connection with the videos and a further investigation by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.

His attorney information is not available in court records as of May 30.

The Bartow police officer is accused of inviting four girls and young women to his home the weekend of Feb. 3.

He gave them alcohol as well as THC in the form of gummies and vape pens, then he recorded videos of them in stages of undress, with one of them seen wearing a Bartow Police Department jacket, deputies said.

Fernandez also directed the 17-year-old to perform a sex act on the 18-year-old, which he recorded and sent to other officers with the police department, according to Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd.

Those officers reported him to their supervisors, who passed the investigation to the sheriff’s office, which has jurisdiction.

In a news conference, Judd said the officer also choked two of them.

The man met one of the girls through social media, and she introduced him to her friends, the sheriff said.

Bartow Police Deputy Chief Stephen Walker called the incident “very disappointing.”

“We all wear this patch and this badge, it’s a sign of public trust,” Walker said at the news conference. “And it’s unfortunate when somebody violates that and puts that into question for the community.”

Fernandez was placed on administrative leave in February.

He’s charged with promotion of a juvenile in a sexual performance, use of a juvenile in a sexual performance, battery by strangulation, illegal use of a two-way communication device, two counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor and four counts of providing alcoholic beverages to a person under 21 years of age.

“Markanthony Fernandez has embarrassed his community, police department and law enforcement officers everywhere,” Judd said. “In contrast, his fellow officers at Bartow Police Department did the right thing by reporting his conduct.”

Bartow is the seat of Polk County, about a 45-mile drive east from downtown Tampa.