A US Secret Service officer has been placed on administrative leave after being arrested for allegedly exposing and fondling himself in a public area of a Miami hotel. John Andrew Spillman, 33, was taken into custody on Sunday by deputies from the Miami-Dade County Sheriff's Office, according to a sworn law enforcement statement.
Spillman was part of an external screening security detail for the PGA Cadillac Championship, which President Donald Trump attended earlier that day. The incident occurred while he was off duty at the DoubleTree by Hilton hotel near Miami airport and convention centre.
Police found Spillman 'masturbating at the end of the hallway' on the sixth floor. A woman told officers he had followed her from the lobby to the sixth floor, causing her and other guests to 'immediately enter their room because she was in fear of their lives'. Hotel security also reported witnessing similar behaviour.
Secret Service Uniformed Division Chief Richard Macauley stated that the alleged conduct was 'unacceptable and stands in stark contrast to the professionalism and integrity' expected of personnel. Spillman has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the criminal case and an internal investigation.
Spillman was held on $1,000 bail at the Turner Guilford Knight correctional centre, but posted bond and was expected to be released on Tuesday. This arrest follows a separate incident last week where another Secret Service officer was jailed for allegedly shooting an agent during a security breach at the White House correspondents' dinner.
