Case Of Naked Cathedral City Cop Could Be Settled

Talks are continuing in an attempt to reach a resolution in the case against a fired Cathedral City police officer accused of stripping off his uniform and jumping into a pool with several women, a prosecutor said today.

“Everything is being reviewed,” Deputy District Attorney Kristi Hester said. “We will have a staffing meeting regarding whether there will be any resolution.”

A felony settlement conference was held today in the case against John Fox Jr., and a another was scheduled for April 29.

A plea bargain offer has not been made, Deputy District Attorney Tricia Fransdal said.

Defense attorney Susanne Cho has said Fox is “overcharged,” which is why she is trying to resolve the case before a preliminary hearing.

“Mr. Fox did not do what is alleged in the complaint,” Cho said.

If an agreement is not reached, the case will head to the a preliminary hearing.

Cox, 37, is charged with assault under the color of authority and attempted digital penetration — both felonies — and misdemeanor indecent exposure and sexual battery counts.

After heading into the pool naked, Fox touched one of the woman’s genital areas and made other unwanted sexual advances, according to a declaration in support of an arrest warrant.

Fox who was fired by the department in November, allegedly stripped off his uniform and jumped into a pool with a group of women while investigating a loud noise complaint at a Cathedral City house around 4 a.m. on Sept. 29.

After the victim — who had been drinking several beers with her friends — jokingly asked Fox to come into the pool, he stripped and entered the water, wrote senior investigator Susan Zappia in the arrest declaration.

Fox then told the victim it was “her turn to take her clothes off” and the victim, who told investigators she felt “pressured,”voluntarily removed her tank top, Zappia wrote.

Fox then tried to hug and grab the victim, while she pushed him away, Zappia wrote. He then touched her inappropriately with his hand in several areas and his genital areas came into contact with her as well, Zappia wrote.

“(The victim) stated that she did not want Fox to touch her at all,” Zappia said. “She continually made this clear to him by constantly moving away from him and putting her hands, palms up, towards him as he approached and grabbed at her in his attempts to hug and touch her.”

The owner of the home, who was not swimming, called 911 to report the naked officer, he said. Fox put his clothes back on and left before other officers arrived, according to the public information officer.