A longtime Clearwater police supervisor retired Monday as he was about to be fired.
According to the Tampa Bay Times, Sgt. Richard Crean was demoted and suspended in May for using a law enforcement database improperly and lying about it. Investigators said the onetime lieutenant looked up personal information about people, including his ex-wife's boyfriend, a television news reporter and the wives of other police officers.
Clearwater police officials decided last week to fire Crean for his use of the Florida Driver and Vehicle Information Database (commonly called DAVID).
"He would have been terminated," Clearwater spokeswoman Joelle Castelli told the Times. "He retired before the administrative process could be completed."
Crean, 46, will receive full retirement benefits.
Before his problems, Crean was doing well in Clearwater. He won the 2011 Public Safety and Service Award from the Rotary Club of Clearwater for community involvement. Last year, he was promoted to lieutenant and supervised one of the city's patrol districts.
But in May, he was demoted to sergeant.