A misconduct hearing for a Binghamton police officer began today in City Hall.
Kristi Sager has been an officer for the Binghamton Police Department for 10 years and works the night shift.
“It’s pretty calm. You know you pretty much you are waiting for a call to respond," said BPD officer Kristi Sager.
But, according to police records, Sager left her post while on duty for 9 different days between August and September of 2014.
The investigation into her activity report was prompted after Sager got into an accident last month on February 5th, when she drove her car into a parked vehicle.
She is accused of leaving the scene without calling the police. Five witnesses on the scene said she smelled badly of alcohol.
“I was not drunk at all and I did not consume alcohol. I was traveling, I hit a pack of icy road and slid into a parked car,” said Sager.
Matthew Keefe, the man who owned the car, says Sager volunteered to pay for any damages. Keefe says he told Sager if she gave him $16,000, he wouldn’t call the police.
Sager says she left immediately, because she wasn’t feeling well at the time and needed help.
“I had hit my face really hard off the steering wheel and I was bleeding, in my mouth, I could taste it. I started to have an anxiety attack. So I told him I did not want to sit there and have that attack in front of people,” said Sager.
Sager believes the action to suspend her was made because she refused sexual advances from Police Chief Joseph Zikuski from last summer.
“I was sitting at the bar and he put his hand on my thigh and I removed his hand from my thigh. He told me I want to **** you one way or the other. He’s a very vindictive, retaliatory type person and when things don’t go his way, whoever doesn’t give him what he wants, has now become a target and that their job is also in jeopardy,” said Sager.
Sager has been suspended since February 11th without pay. The next hearing will take place on Tuesday, March 24th.
