UNION CITY, Okla. – A former Oklahoma officer is on the other side of the law after an incident while on duty and this not the first time.
Back in 2009, Valley Brook Police officer Jamie Sanchez was arrested for attacking his ex-girlfriend while on duty. Now more than a decade later, a new woman is accusing him of a similar crime, but this time he was allegedly on the job in Union City.
“Someone dropped the ball,” Attorney PJ Shyers from Smolen Law said.
Attorney PJ Shyers is talking about Jamie Sanchez who just days ago was on the Union City Police force.
That is until his ex-girlfriend, whom Shyer is defending, accused the man in blue of “stalking and “harassment” allegedly while on the job.
But the now-former officer’s attorney, James Levine, says her claims are simply not true.
“He did it in a conventional manner and didn’t harass her constantly,” Attorney James Levine said.
In a protective order, Sanchez’s ex says he continued calling, emailing, and messaging her for weeks.
“The man was looking for closure,” Levine said. “Like what did I do wrong?”
“She doesn’t owe him any explanation other than no I don’t want to talk to you. It’s so clear.”
Sanchez also accused of calling the woman using fake numbers and allegedly even showing her bodycam footage of a man who appears to be Sanchez drawing his gun.
Union City Police told News 4 this is against policy.
“These resources are used to protect and serve not harass people you are dating,” Shyers said.
“He just wanted an explanation so that he wouldn’t do something like this in a future relationship,” Levine said.
In 2009, Sanchez was accused of a similar crime when he allegedly “threw an ex-girlfriend face-first into the ground, tried to handcuff her and arrest her for assaulting an officer”.
In that case, Sanchez was arrested and accused of assault.
But two years later his record was wiped clean and a few years after that, he was hired by the Union City Police Department.
“We are both confused as to how he was hired in the first place with the information readily available and made known public,” Shyers said.
“This is a career police officer, a 21-year veteran,” Levine said. “He’s not going to threaten anybody.”
As for the most recent case, a Tulsa judge handed down an agreement this week. The protective order will remain in effect for 6 months
If Sanchez doesn’t violate it, it will be dismissed in March.
“If she would’ve just taken two minutes and answered one his calls or texted his back and said ‘why, none of this would’ve occurred,’” Levine said.
“He is no way entitled to any response from any woman in any relationship he is ever in,” Shyers said.
Sanchez’s attorney says his client resigned from the Union City Police Department on an issue unrelated to the Protective Order being filed.
The Union City Police chief tells News 4 Sanchez was suspended the day the VPO was filed, an internal investigation began, and he resigned last week.
