Texas police officer fired for giving feces sandwich to homeless man wins appeal

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — A San Antonio police officer who was fired after colleagues accused him of trying to give a homeless man a sandwich containing dog feces has won his appeal but hasn't been reinstated.

An arbitrator this month overturned Matthew Luckhurst's dismissal because he wasn't punished within the required 180 days of the alleged incident.

Officers reported the dog feces incident happened May 6, 2016, while Luckhurst was on bicycle patrol. He was notified of his indefinite suspension Oct. 28, 2016.

Luckhurst challenged the May date, saying injury prevented him from riding a bicycle from April 6 to June 14.

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An arbitrator voided Luckhurst's dismissal, citing uncertain timing and a lack of evidence that it happened at all.

Luckhurst remains off the job while appealing an unrelated indefinite suspension again involving feces after he and another officer bragged about leaving a mess in the women's restroom.