The U.S. Secret Service insignia is painted on the wall of Secret Service headquarters in Washington.
Kevin Lamarque | Reuters
A U.S. Secret Service agent was arrested in Miami on suspicion of off-duty indecency, authorities said Monday.
The officer, John Spielman, was conducting security screening outside President Donald Trump’s appearance at the PGA Tour’s Cadillac Championship at Trump National Doral on Sunday.
Spielman was held Monday in the Miami-Dade County Jail in lieu of $1,000 bail, according to online jail records.
The 33-year-old has been placed on administrative leave from the Secret Service, the agency said.
U.S. Secret Agent John Spielman, booking photo, Miami-Dade County Sheriff’s Department
Miami-Dade County Sheriff’s Department
The incident involving Spielman occurred Sunday night at the DoubleTree by Hilton Miami Airport & Convention Center, according to WSVN-7 News Miami, which cited an arrest report from the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office.
Earlier in the day, President Trump watched players complete the final round of the Cadillac Championship from a tent near the golf club’s 18th hole.
Mr. Spielman was part of the unit that provided external security inspection for the event.
Hotel guests told investigators they were in the lobby around midnight when Spielman followed up, WSVN-7 News reported. They then witnessed “the defendant masturbating next to him in the hotel room,” the station reported.
A security guard then found “the defendant with his pants down and masturbating on the sixth floor,” the report states.
The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.
U.S. Secret Service Police Chief Richard McCauley said in a statement to CNBC that the agency is aware of the arrest of an off-duty Secret Service officer by the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office.
“The alleged conduct is unacceptable and stands in stark contrast to the professionalism and integrity I expect from my staff,” McCauley said.
“The agency takes these matters with the utmost seriousness, and as a result, the individual has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of this criminal matter and a full and thorough internal investigation,” he said.
Mr. Spielman’s arrest comes more than a week after Secret Service agents arrested Cole Thomas Allen, a California man accused of fatally shooting a police officer as he tried to force his way through a checkpoint at the Washington Hilton Hotel, upstairs where Mr. Trump was attending the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner.
Officials said the officer was not seriously injured because his protective vest stopped the shots. Allen is charged with attempting to assassinate Trump.
