A San Antonio Police officer who was kicked off the force twice in the past four years has won his job back a second time.
Officer Robert Romo appealed his latest termination, which stemmed from a fight and shooting at a bar in 2015. An arbitrator ordered the city to return him to duty.
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Romo, who joined the department in May 2008, was initially terminated after he was arrested in January 2013 on a DWI charge.
Romo was returned to duty after sitting out for roughly two-and-a-half years. Shortly after returning to duty, he found himself in trouble again.
In the early morning hours of October 27, 2015, Romo was with friends at a bar called Mustang Sally’s. Officers responded to the bar after a man was shot in the parking lot during a fight.
According to official documents, Romo “fled the scene, failed to report the incident in writing to his immediate supervisor or on-duty supervisor and failed to provide truthful information about his participation in the altercation to the officers who responded.”
Romo was accused of violating six department rules, and Chief William McManus issued him an indefinite suspension. Romo appealed the punishment, and the case went before an arbitrator in December 2016.
He also lost his gun during the shooting, which became another point of contention during the arbitration.
Officer Romo has been reinstated as an SAPD officer and has completed the process to return to duty, but he will not be returning to patrol. The department said he will now serve in an administrative capacity.