A police officer in Prince George’s County, Maryland, was suspended over a viral video allegedly showing him kissing a woman before the pair went in the back of a patrol car.
“PGPD Executive Command is aware of a video circulating on social media with one of our officers. As soon as we became aware earlier today, we opened an investigation to determine the circumstances,” the Prince George’s County Police Department posted on its Facebook account Tuesday.
The Facebook post has since been updated to inform the public that “the officer has been identified. His police powers are now suspended as the investigation continues.”
The video of the officer canoodling with the woman was recorded Sunday, according to the Baltimore Banner, and racked up millions of views by Wednesday morning. Police sources identified PGPD Officer Francesco Marlett as the officer in the video to local outlets.
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A Prince George’s County police officer seen kissing a woman next to a patrol vehicle. (Fox News Digital )
The video shows the officer in uniform kissing a woman and putting his arm around her waist before the pair head into the back of a marked police vehicle.
The individual who recorded the viral video, only identified as Nelson O, said the scene unfolded at about 7 p.m. on Sunday at the Carson Park in the town of Oxon Hill, the Baltimore Banner reported. He told the outlet he was at the park with his child and other family members to play soccer when he noticed the officer walking around, allegedly looking “suspicious.”
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He added that he began recording when he spotted the young woman, who he described as being in her 20s, approaching the officer, arguing, ”something didn’t seem right.”
The couple reportedly remained in the back of the police vehicle for about 40 minutes before leaving in separate vehicles, the Baltimore Banner reported.
“It was concerning because there’s kids around,” Nelson O told the outlet. “It just seemed off because this is the person that you’re supposed to call for suspicious activity doing the suspicious activity, you know.”
A woman claiming to be Marlett’s wife on Facebook posted a message on the social media site Wednesday lamenting the “embarrassing and painful” situation.
A Prince George’s County police officer was suspended following a viral video allegedly showing him kissing a woman outside a patrol car. (Fox News Digital )
“Yes this is a very tough time for me and my kids. As embarrassing and painful as this is please check in on us. We need the support the love and most of all the respect from the community and our families. Yes I know what’s been going on. No, I am not updating anyone on this situation after today,” a woman identified as Paula Marlett wrote on Facebook, Fox 5 reported.
Paula Marlett went on to say her husband had been cheating on her “for years,” and identified the woman in the video as Virginia, whose “husband left her a– a long time ago bc she cheated.”
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“I Love you all. Except for you Virginia you can rot in hell b—-,” the woman claiming to be the officer’s wife added.
She did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for additional comment when messaged on Facebook.
Prince George’s County Police Headquarters in Maryland. (Google Maps )
A spokesperson for the Prince George’s County Police Department told Fox News Digital on Wednesday morning there were no updates to the case.
Marlett was previously suspended in 2015, according to the Baltimore Banner and indicted by a grand jury the following year on child abuse and assault charges. He was accused of spanking his girlfriend’s 3-year-old child, causing him to allegedly hit his head on a wall and lose consciousness. Charges were eventually dropped, according to Fox 5.
He was suspended again in May of this year after an accusation of domestic violence, Fox 5 reported.
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Fox News Digital’s Pilar Arias contributed to this report.