Wichita cop jailed for alleged stalking after possible DV won’t face charges, DA says
The Wichita Police Department says one of its officers preparing for retirement was booked into the Sedgwick County Jail on Monday morning on suspicion of one count of misdemeanor stalking for a series of alleged incidents that reportedly occurred earlier this year.
But Joseph S. Spicuglia, who WPD says is no longer an active member of the force, won’t face any formal criminal charges after prosecutors determined later Monday that there wasn’t enough evidence to file a case in court right now.
But that could change if more evidence turns up in the future, Sedgwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett said.
Spicuglia on Tuesday did not answer a phone number linked to him in public records or immediately return a message from The Eagle seeking comment on the stalking allegations and his arrest.
He is accused of stalking a woman he knows at least five times this year including on Feb. 7, sometime in late March or early April, on a date in October, on Nov. 21 and on Dec. 4, according to the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office. Sheriff’s Office records show the Wichita Police Department on Dec. 9 asked the agency to help investigate the matter at a west Wichita home.
Wichita police spokesman Paul Cruz said in a Monday afternoon news release that Spicuglia was taken to jail following a potential domestic violence incident involving the 61-year-old officer and the woman. Cruz said Wichita police officials recently discovered Spicuglia’s alleged involvement in the DV incident, the investigation of which led to accusations tied to his Monday stalking arrest, the release says.
Police turned investigation of the case over to the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office, though, to avoid any potential conflicts of interest, Cruz said without providing additional information about what occurred or when.
Sheriff’s Office spokesman Lt. Benjamin Blick didn’t have any more details about the allegations on Monday afternoon, either. But he said the investigation had already been reviewed by the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office and that “no charges were filed.”
The DA, Bennett, confirmed that decision by email Monday.
“Insufficient evidence was located to charge the former officer at this time,” Bennett wrote. “In the event additional evidence comes to light, investigators will present the matter again for future consideration.”
Spicuglia was booked into the Sedgwick County Jail at 8:09 a.m. Monday and was later released on a $10,000 own recognizance bond, according to an online log of inmates.
The police department says Spicuglia is “no longer an active member” of the agency and is currently not working in any capacity because he is in the process of preparing for retirement. He served on the Wichita force for 25 years, working most recently as a first shift patrol officer in WPD’s Patrol West bureau on beat 11, which covers an area between 9th and 29th streets from the Arkansas and Little Arkansas rivers to Zoo Boulevard.
This story was originally published December 20, 2021 at 2:40 PM.
