Prostitute Says She Had Sex With Officer Four Times

A Daytona Beach police officer now has a reprimand on his record after 82 phone calls with a known prostitute. The woman complained that Officer Thomas Lopez was using up all her cell phone minutes.

Lopez said it was all police business, but even if that's true, his superiors said, he still broke the rules.

If you were to believe the woman, she had sexual contact with Lopez four times, twice in his patrol car. Lopez said it never happened. He said their relationship was police officer and informant.

But, investigators found, the 82 calls between Tara Price and Lopez over three months compelling enough to launch a Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigation the chief of police still believes was well-founded.

"If it swims like a duck and quacks like a duck and swims like a duck, it's a duck. This officer should be happy all he got was a reprimand," said Chief Michael Chitwood.

Suspect Tara Price 072706 Eyewitness News obtained a copy of the FDLE report in which Price alleges the sexual contact. Price, who has a history of prostitution and drug arrests, also said Lopez referred to "throw-downs," items of contraband that could be dropped and used to bring charges against someone.

When Lopez was questioned about the charges and asked if he had a sexual relationship with Price, his answer was "no." When he was asked if he had any sexual relationship with any other prostitute, his answer was still "no." He also denied the use of any "throw downs."

After conducting their own surveillance, Daytona police and FDLE investigators were unable to get any independent confirmation of the allegations, leaving them unresolved. But the chief said Lopez still broke some basic rules on confidential informants.

"If you're going to meet a female, you should be surveilled, and if you're going to meet with a CI (confidential informant), you should let your supervisor know and get back up," Chitwood said.

It turned out, Price wasn't even on the department's list of informants.

"He's getting off light, but it's the best we can do. He should put this behind him and go back to work," Chitwood said.

Lopez's supervisor originally recommended 40-hour suspension in addition to the reprimand, but because the allegations could not be substantiated it was thrown out.

Daytona Beach police said that Lopez was appealing the reprimand. Eyewitness News was unable to reach either Lopez or his attorney to confirm that Thursday afternoon.