A Kansas City police sergeant has been charged with four felonies after his soon-to-be ex-wife told officers he repeatedly showed up at her home overnight, drove his SUV into her fence, and sent her a threatening photo just before dawn. Timothy Michael Fitzgerald, 41, was being held on a $75,000 bond following his arrest.
The Jackson County Prosecutor's Office charged Fitzgerald on Tuesday with one count each of first-degree burglary, tampering with a victim, threatening to disseminate private sexual images without consent, and first-degree harassment, according to The Kansas City Star. Fitzgerald is a sergeant within the Kansas City Police Department's administrative bureau, a department spokesman told the paper, and he joined the force on January 26, 2009.
A Night of Escalating Confrontations
According to the victim's account to officers, Fitzgerald began calling her around 8:30 p.m. Sunday, calling her names including “bitch” and “whore” and threatening to use his job to make her life a “living hell.” She told officers she feared police might pull her over and harass her on his behalf. The station's report indicates Fitzgerald arrived around 9 p.m. in his silver police car, drove through the front yard and parked in front of the door, revved the engine, rang the doorbell several times, and then left — though she did not call 911 during that first visit.
Surveillance video the victim later gave detectives backs up parts of that timeline. The first clip, beginning around 9:44 p.m. Sunday, shows a silver SUV parked but running on the lawn in front of the home's front door. A second video, starting about a minute later, shows Fitzgerald getting out of the SUV, ringing the doorbell multiple times, getting no answer, and driving away. Officers responded to what a probable-cause statement described as a domestic-related disturbance at the home around 10:45 p.m. Sunday.
Allegations of a Break-In and Grabbing
The victim told officers she called 911 again after hearing footsteps inside the home, and she said Fitzgerald then allegedly grabbed her arm and tried to pull her toward him while repeatedly asking her, “Why did you do this to me?” Her children were home during the incidents but were not harmed, though they reportedly yelled for Fitzgerald to stop. After the encounter, she noticed an open kitchen window and believed that was how he had gotten inside.
Detectives who examined the property reported tire marks and heavy damage to both sides of a wooden fence, along with scuff marks near a rear window that they believed may indicate Fitzgerald's entry point. Officers separately observed multiple sets of tire marks in the yard, with some leading toward the backyard fence, and court documents reported the fence had been damaged. Fitzgerald allegedly drove his vehicle into the fence during one of the incidents, per the same account.
Arrest, Hospital Visit and a Threatening Photo
Officers arrested Fitzgerald at his home around 12:35 a.m. Monday on suspicion of harassment and took him to South Patrol Detention. He was released after posting bond following that first arrest, before sending the victim a text reading “I'm out” around 3 a.m. Monday, followed about 4:30 a.m. by a topless photo of her with the caption “Going on the web,” the newspaper reported. A final surveillance clip beginning at 4:38 a.m. Monday shows Fitzgerald leaving the home through the front door, walking to the SUV, and reversing out of the driveway.
Tactical officers arrested Fitzgerald at his address around 11:10 a.m. Monday. After he made suicidal statements, officers took him to a hospital for a mental health evaluation before he was medically cleared and returned to South Patrol Detention.
Fitzgerald's Account to Detectives
Fitzgerald told detectives he was going through a divorce and had experienced emotional issues since March, and he admitted going to his wife's home, though he said he did not know what time. He described a tense conversation with his wife on Sunday that he did not consider an argument, and said he had been drinking beer but could not remember how much. He also told detectives he had been “spiraling” for about the past month, that he missed his family and wanted them back, and that he never wanted to hurt anyone.
The victim told officers she and Fitzgerald were divorcing and that she had planned to sign the paperwork Monday. She said he moved out of the home in March 2026 because of the divorce, after which she changed the locks and garage door code.
Department Response and Open Questions
Kansas City police spokesman Sgt. Phil DiMartino referred questions about the case to the Jackson County Prosecutor's Office and declined to say whether Fitzgerald had been placed on administrative leave. Jackson County Prosecutor's Office spokeswoman Jazzlyn Johnson said prosecutors could not comment on case details while it remains ongoing.
Under Missouri law, a third or subsequent offense of threatening to disseminate private sexual images without consent is classified as a class C felony, according to the Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Separately, guidance from the Missouri Attorney General states that law-enforcement incident reports cannot be withheld from the public solely on the grounds that they are personnel records or related to disciplining or firing an employee.
