A high-ranking Fort Myers police officer was arrested Tuesday on charges of soliciting prostitution, official misconduct and perjury related to a massage parlor sting that happened more than six years ago.

Fort Myers Police Capt. Jay Rodriguez was booked into the Lee County Jail at 11 a.m. and released less than two hours later after posting a $4,000 bond, according to arrest records.

Sara Miles, public information officer for the 20th Judicial Circuit, said the judge who signed Rodriguez's arrest warrant also set bail, without putting Rodriguez through a typical first appearance like others who have been arrested.

The warrant was not available Tuesday afternoon.

Attempts to reach Rodriguez were unsuccessful Tuesday. Rodriguez is being represented by Peter Ringsmuth, of Ringsmuth, Day & O'Halloran. Ringsmuth declined to comment.

Rodriguez's next court date is scheduled for Oct. 14, arrest records show.

The arrest occurred six months after the Florida Department of Law Enforcement began an investigation following the February release of a video showing Rodriguez allegedly engaged in a sexual act during an undercover prostitution sting in 2013.

Rodriguez is accused of falsifying an official document, perjury in an official proceeding and procuring prostitution, according to arrest records.

The FDLE investigation found “Rodriguez solicited and engaged in prostitution with a female massage therapist while on duty and acting in an undercover capacity during a massage parlor operation in Fort Myers on March 14, 2013."

Rodriguez also "authored a falsified account of his actions during the operation, which was relied upon by the arresting officer to affect the arrests of two women at the massage parlor," a news release states.

Additionally, Rodriguez is accused of committing perjury when he was interviewed during an internal affairs investigation in January and said he had never engaged in sex while on duty.

In December, O'Neil Kerr, a former Fort Myers police officer, filed a complaint against Rodriguez to the Fort Myers Human Resources Department alleging Rodriguez was involved in a sex act during an undercover sting.

Email exchanges between Kerr and HR Director Ellen Clyatt show the city was unaware of the existence of the video. She told Kerr to hand over the video if he had it.

A few days later, Kerr provided the city with a copy of the video. He also provided a copy to The News-Press.

The video, time-stamped March 14, 2013, was recorded from what appeared to be a lanyard placed around the officer’s neck and purportedly shows Rodriguez’s face before the officer enters the massage parlor.

The video purportedly shows the officer appearing naked with a woman in her underwear. The officer can clearly be heard commenting on the sex act.

Rodriguez was placed on administrative leave and the city paid him about $60,000 from that time until his arrest.

Chief Derrick Diggs asked the FDLE to investigate the allegations. Amira Fox, state attorney for the 20th Judicial Circuit, asked Gov. Ron DeSantis to reassign the case to another prosecutor because Rodriguez donated about $100 to her election campaign last year.

In a statement issued Tuesday, Diggs said Rodriguez is now on leave without pay, pending the outcome of the investigation.

"Although the incident occurred 3 years prior to my arrival, I take any allegations of misconduct by our officers seriously," Diggs said in the statement. "His actions should in no way reflect on the character and integrity of this organization or the men and women who tirelessly work every day to protect the good people of Fort Myers."

Rodriguez, 46, was hired by the department in 1998 and served in varying capacities over his two-decades-long career, including patrol, detective and public information officer, before being promoted to captain under Diggs' administration.

Acting as spokesman, Rodriguez was often in front of the news cameras during news conferences and at crime scenes.

Kerr said he was shocked to hear that Rodriguez had been arrested.

“If it wasn’t for the video being produced, they never took it seriously,” Kerr said. “They knew what was going on and they really didn’t do anything, and when I brought this out, they didn’t take it seriously and they put me and my family in danger because of all of this.”

The rumors that Rodriguez was involved with a sex video had been swirling as far back as December. They led to an argument between him and community activist Anthony Thomas in the lobby of City Hall during a City Council meeting.

That incident resulted in a separate investigation by Fort Myers police after Rodriguez filed a complaint alleging Thomas was extorting him. Fox also requested that case be reassigned, and DeSantis reassigned it to the 10th Judicial Circuit in Polk County.

On Tuesday, Fort Myers Deputy Chief Jeff Meyers said the 10th Judicial Circuit said there was insufficient evidence.

Thomas was not surprised.

"There was never any scintilla of evidence to support this frivolous complaint by disgraced Capt. Rodriguez," Thomas said.

Thomas said he planned to speak to an attorney to take a legal action against the city and Rodriguez.

Previous coverage:

This is a developing story.