Sexual Assault
Nov 20, 2010OUTCOME: 5 felonies charges- 5 not guilty verdicts
Client charged with 5 felony offenses- facing 180 years in jail. This was a very difficult case based on the allegations of a sixteen year old girl who stated the Defendant had inappropriately touched ... her and had sexual intercourse with her on multiple occasions over a two year period- beginning when she was about thirteen years of age. What made this case even more unusual is that the teen alleged that most of these encounters occurred in the midst of neighborhood parties where twenty or more individuals-including her parents- were present. The teen allegedly told this story to a friend, who threatened to make a police report if the girl did not come forward voluntarily. The teen talked to her high school counselor, who called the girl’s mother, who informed law enforcement. The next two years became a nightmare for the defendant and his family. This case was the classic “he said, she said” type of case. There was no DNA evidence --in fact there was no physical evidence at all. Law enforcement did little to no investigation in this matter. It didn’t seem to matter to law enforcement that the claims of the teen were scenarios that seemed highly unlikely. Also, the defendant passed a polygraph- but results of a polygraph exam are inadmissible in court. This was a rough trial. Judge kept us there from 8 am each day until after 10 pm on some days- and all day Saturday until the jury came back with their verdict. Fortunately, I was able to reveal the false nature of these allegations made against my client and he was able to return home to his wife and three children- with his name and reputation cleared.
