Ex-Joplin Officer Sentenced After Seeking Sex for Dismissing Case

A former Joplin police officer will serve six months of home detention for trying to get a woman's drunk-driving charge dismissed in exchange for sexual favors.

Brian Rogers was sentenced Wednesday on a misdemeanor charge of deprivation of rights. He also will serve three years' probation.

The Joplin Globe reports Rogers arrested a woman in October 2015 for driving under the influence of alcohol. Two months later, he offered to get the charge dismissed.

Rogers told the city prosecutor that the case should be dismissed because the breathalyzer he had used was malfunctioning. The prosecutor notified Rogers' supervisors and the woman agreed to a recorded call during which Rogers said the charge would be dropped. He later told authorities he hoped for a sexual relationship with the woman.