Ex-cop's odd underwear incident results in jail

Joseph Earl Myers Joseph Earl Myers Photo: Courtesy Photo: Courtesy Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Ex-cop's odd underwear incident results in jail 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

A 20-year San Antonio Police Department veteran was ordered Wednesday to serve six months in jail for a bizarre incident last year in which he was found wandering the streets near his wrecked city vehicle, disoriented and without pants.

Sgt. Joseph Earl Myers, 53, who resigned almost immediately after the incident, had no explanation for the odd occurrence as state District Judge Melisa Skinner pressed him for answers that have so far eluded authorities.

“I made some bad decisions,” Myers said while apologizing, conceding he'd mixed alcohol with the prescription sleep drug Ambien the night before.

The former narcotics officer added that he has no idea how cocaine was found in his system, although he doesn't dispute it was. He'd never used illegal substances before, he said.

“I don't know where I was. I was irrational. I was disoriented,” he told authorities. “I don't remember leaving the house. I don't remember taking cocaine.”

Colleagues found Myers at 6:45 that morning near the East Josephine Street exit of U.S. 281 wearing boxer shorts, a T-shirt and Crocs.

He was later indicted for two counts of state jail felony misapplication of fiduciary property — one regarding the $7,169 bill for the damaged city vehicle, the other involving $7,000 that was temporarily missing from a fund used to pay informants.

In an additional case, Myers was accused of tampering with evidence for allegedly trying to use toilet water to dilute a urine sample that morning.

Under a plea agreement reached last month, Myers pleaded no contest only to damaging the vehicle.

He also surrendered his law enforcement license and appeared in court Wednesday with $7,000 for the vehicle.

In exchange, prosecutors agreed to not call witnesses or respond to defense attorney Stephen Smith's request for probation.

Skinner granted deferred adjudication but with the caveat that Myers spend six months in the Bexar County Jail as a condition. She also granted work release so he can continue employment as an assistant manager at H-E-B.

The judge noted that the single blotch on Myers' otherwise spotless record shouldn't define him. But he must be held to a higher standard “because of who you were,” she said.

ckapitan@express-news.net

Twitter: @HearsaySA