Officer Anthony Scatena Pleads Guilty to Invasion of Privacy

A Fort Wayne police officer who pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor this spring was fired Monday after the city's board of public safety determined the officer had an unacceptable pattern of misconduct and a disregard for a court order.

Anthony Scatena, a 13-year veteran of the department, pleaded guilty to an invasion-of-privacy charge, a Class A misdemeanor, in April. The board had little discussion of board chairwoman Sharon Peters' motion before voting to dismiss him. The two newest board members, Bob Elder and Steve Boerger, did not hear evidence related to the case and abstained from voting.

Scatena declined to comment Monday evening. Police Chief Rusty York said he would be formally notified of the board's decision today.

Scatena was initially arrested on two misdemeanor charges of battery and domestic battery after police were called to his home in November. The Allen County prosecutor dropped those two charges a few days after the invasion-of-privacy charge was filed.

According to court records, Scatena called or was called by the same woman he allegedly battered 261 times between January and February - a violation of a no-contact order issued as part of the domestic battery case. The phone calls ranged in length of one minute to 27 minutes.

York asked the board to fire Scatena in May, and a closed-door evidentiary hearing was held in July to consider whether the officer violated any departmental rules and regulations.

During the hearing, the three-member board learned that Scatena initiated 64 phone calls to the woman. Scatena told the board that the woman, who was living in his house, called him to ensure the bills were paid. An outside employer told the board that the woman tried to contact Scatena at the business several times and had seen text messages and phone calls the woman made to his cell phone, the written findings said.

The board found that Scatena violated the no-contact order repeatedly and showed a "complete disregard for an order of the court." The police department's domestic relations policy states a protective order is a court order and that violators may be arrested, the board wrote in its findings.

The board also cited Scatena's disciplinary history in determining that "Scatena's conduct demonstrates an unacceptable pattern of conduct and a clear disregard for the rules of the department."

The board detailed six reprimands and suspensions. All but one disciplinary action involved complaints that Scatena was rude, made inappropriate comments or used profanity. He also was suspended for leaving his district and a filing a false report.

York told the board that "Scatena's sustained allegations show a disregard for rules and a pattern of rudeness and confrontation," according to the written findings.

York told the board that a Class A misdemeanor conviction under the department's rules and regulations is cause for dismissal or a suspension to be determined by the board. He also said that Scatena's credibility was "impaired," the findings said.

York said after the meeting that he was concerned that by pleading guilty to disregarding a judge's order, that would hamper Scatena's ability to work with the prosecutor's office and even other divisions within the police department. For example, victims' assistance was involved in Scatena's case, York said.

The board last voted to terminate a city employee in 2002, when it fired firefighter Kenneth Burson. His dismissal was later overturned in court, and he resigned from the department. The board also fired police officers Nathan Alexander in 1999 and James Chin in 2001 - both resulted in lawsuits.