Arbitrator denies ex-APD cop's appeal

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Twice-fired Leonardo Quintana will not be getting his job back with the Austin Police Department after an arbitrator denied his appeal Wednesday evening.

The former Austin police officer has appealed three times in the fight to keep his job: once for the first firing and twice for the second.

The most recent appeal surrounds his second firing, which centered around an alleged domestic incident between him and his then-fiancee.

Quintana's appeals

First appeal surrounded firing over DWI:

• APD Chief Art Acevedo indefinitely suspended Quintana the first time over a January 2010 DWI charge -- which Quintana later pleaded guilty to during his January trial this year.
• Quintana won the fight to get his job back following the May 2010 firing, and an arbitrator reduced his indefinite suspension to a 15-day suspension -- a ruling the department said it was disappointed with.

Second appeal surrounded firing over alleged domestic incident:

• Just six days after his appeal win, Quintana again lost his job for the second time on October 27. The grounds for that firing surrounded an October 2009 domestic incident   -- where police were called to the home of his then-fiancee after an argument.

Third appeal surrounded an arbitrator's ruling, which upheld APD's decision to fire him over the alleged domestic incident:

• Following a February hearing, an arbitrator maintains the department's decision to fire Quintana surrounding the alleged domestic incident between him and his then-fiancee.

Leander police arrested Quintana on Nov. 9 on the four misdemeanor charges in connection to the alleged assaults on his ex-fiancee.

After Quintana posted an $8,000 bond, part of his bail conditions in regard to that incident include he not drink any alcohol or own, have or buy any firearms. In addition to Quintana's arrest surrounding those incidents, there was also an emergency restraining order against him preventing any communicatio n or contact with his ex-fiancee.

He maintains he never physically assaulted the woman.

Quintana is known for his role in the East Austin death of 18-year-old Nathaniel Sanders in an early morning incident in May 2009 -- though his first firing had little to do with that.

The charges -- regarding incidents that happened throughout a time span of less than a year -- include:

November 2008

• criminal mischief    
• assault - family violence

October 2009

• criminal trespass
• assault - family violence

Acevedo has previously testified against Quintana during his appeal hearings.