Ex-cop gets four years in prison for forcing homeless man to lick a urinal – The Sun

AN ex-cop got four years behind bars for forcing a homeless man to lick a urinal to avoid a beating.

On Wednesday, former Honolulu police officer John Rabago was sentenced by US District Judge Leslie Kobayashi in Hawaii, who slammed his shocking behavior.

"You took from him his only possession: his dignity as a human being," Kobayashi told Rabago.

TMZ reported that in 2018, Rabago and his fellow ex-cop Reginald Ramones found their victim in a public restroom stall after responding to a nuisance complaint.

Rabago threatened the homeless man, saying he would receive a beating and stick his head down the toilet if he didn't lick the urinal.

The disgraced cop then allegedly stepped on the man's legs to keep him kneeling until he complied with Rabago's demeaning request.

Ramones will be sentenced next week for allegedly failing to report Rabago's gross violation of someone's civil rights.

He has pled guilty to the charge.

Assistant US Attorney Tom Brady said Rabago initially laughed about the incident, before denying it had occurred later on.

He allegedly told Ramones to delete text messages about the incident.

"To be homeless, not knowing where your next meal is going to be, to be forced to lick … a dirty urinal by a uniformed police officer," Brady said.

"There's only one word that comes to mind: hopelessness."

But a defense lawyer for Rabago Megan Kau said her client thought he'd only be doing three years in lock-up.

"I think [the judge] is taking the national environment and making him as an example," Kau said of the four-year sentence.

A lawyer for the homeless man said he was "pleasantly surprised that the court punished him appropriately."

The victim is suing Honolulu PD and the city.

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