"Porn" Cop Keeps Police Certification

The Florida cop who was fired for not disclosing his background in gay porn can keep his police certification, a 19-member state panel ruled Thursday morning.

"We won," 36-year-old Mike Verdugo told The Miami Herald following the Florida Department of Law Enforcement hearing in Tampa. ``They voted unanimously. We're done. My certification stands. I'm happy. Shocked -- in a good way.''

The FDLE ruling places Verdugo on a one-year probation and requires him to take a state-approved ethics course.

Verdugo was fired from the Hollywood, Fla., police department when officials caught wind of his appearance in the 1996 bondage film Rope Rituals. The former Design Star contestant explained that he took the well-paying job as a way to explore his sexuality, emphasizing that he did not perform hardcore sexual acts. He was credited in the film as Jeremy Wess.

Verdugo has sued to get his job back. The case is scheduled to be heard in November in Broward circuit court.

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