Deputies accused of bringing drunken woman to hotel for sex following traffic stop

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC/Gray News) - Two deputies in Tennessee may soon lose their ability to work in law enforcement after allegedly bringing a drunken woman to a hotel after a traffic stop so one could have sex with her.

Michael Yzaguirre and Sheldon Smith were fired from Shelby County Sheriff’s Office in mid-2024 over violations of the sheriff’s office’s regulations.

According to their termination documents, Yzaguirre, while off-duty, had sex with a woman who was intoxicated to a level where she was unable to fully consent.

Smith, according to the documents, was on-duty and called to the scene where the woman was found slumped over in a vehicle stopped in the travel lane of Airline Road near Memphis-Arlington Road.

Smith then reportedly took the woman to a hotel room instead of performing a field sobriety test, despite the vehicle having obvious damage to it.

Smith allegedly turned off his body camera during this encounter.

The woman told deputies she had been involved in a domestic violence incident with her husband and was physically assaulted.

Once at the hotel, the sheriff’s office says Yzaguirre, despite being off-duty, brought the woman to her hotel room.

“Deputy Smith willfully neglected his duties as a Deputy Sheriff by allowing an off-duty deputy (Patrolman Michael Yzaguirre) to completely take control of the scene and dictate how the incident was handled,” the sheriff’s office said.

Yzaguirre then allegedly had sex with the woman after Smith left.

“Deputy Yzaguirre was purposeful in his actions which ultimately led to having sexual intercourse with a citizen who - by his own admission - was unable to fully consent to the encounter due to the level of her intoxication,” the sheriff’s office said.

SCSO says Yzaguirre and Smith both lied about the incident when reporting the details.

The incident report made no mention of the woman being intoxicated.

Peace Officer Standards & Training Commission (POST) will convene in Nashville this week to determine if Yzaguirre and Smith will be decertified.