Former Lawrence Court Officer Found Not Guilty Of Raping Prisoner

LAWRENCE, Mass. (AP) — A former Massachusetts court officer has been acquitted of charges that he sexually assaulted a female detainee in a courthouse on three occasions.

The Eagle-Tribune (http://bit.ly/2nADLAy ) reports that 48-year-old Jose Martinez was found not guilty Tuesday of multiple counts of rape and indecent sexual assault.

He was convicted of withholding evidence from criminal proceedings.

Prosecutors say Martinez assaulted the 34-year-old woman at Lawrence District Court in a prisoner's elevator, a stairwell and a holding cell in 2009 and 2014.

Martinez acknowledged that he and the woman had sexually charged conversations and shared a consensual intimate moment at the courthouse.

He said he lied to investigators because he did not want to lose his job.

The case was handled by the Suffolk District Attorney's Office to avoid a possible conflict of interest.

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