Boston Police Officer Joe Martinez Arrested On Child Pornography Charges, Held On $5,000 Bail
DEDHAM (CBS) – Boston Police Officer Joe Martinez was ordered held on $5,000 bail Friday, a day after he was arrested on child pornography charges.
Martinez, 37, pleaded not guilty to 15 charges at his arraignment in Dedham District Court, including possession of child pornography, posing a child under 18 for nude photos, and secret sex surveillance of a nude person under 18.
He turned himself in to Norwood Police Thursday and was held overnight on bail.
The judge lowered Martinez's bail from $10,000 to $5,000, but he was not able to post that amount before the courthouse closed for the weekend. The judge said if he does make bail, he will have to wear an electronic monitoring bracelet.
Investigators said they have evidence Martinez secretly recorded a teenage girl in and around a shower, collecting five videos, and also took other images of a sexual nature and Photoshopped them to portray his face and the victim's face.
Police said he bought a mountable video camera online and later confessed when officers confronted him about setting it up.
"When asked why he did so, the defendant replied, 'I don't know. I have a problem. I have all these thoughts in my head,'" the prosecutor told the court.
His attorney asked for Martinez to be released on personal recognizance arguing that he's not a flight risk, saying the officer has been in Boston his whole life except when serving in the military. The judge set bail at $10,000 because prosecutors said Martinez is "living out of his vehicle and has nowhere to go."
Martinez has been a Boston Police officer since 2008. He has been placed on administrative leave.
"The alleged behavior committed by this Boston Police Officer is disturbing," BPD Superintendent-in-Chief Gregory Long said in a statement. "The Boston Police Department will continue to hold its officers to the highest standards."
"All I would like to say is that Officer Martinez is very well liked and very well-regarded by his co-workers. He does his job very professionally. These are obviously very serious allegations," Martinez's attorney, Kenneth Anderson, told reporters outside court Friday. "No criminal record, no discipline with the police department. He's been an outstanding officer."
Anderson said his client is married and also served more than five years in the U.S. Army infantry.
"He did two deployments, one in Afghanistan and one in Iraq. I think there's some things inside of him probably from that service that he's still dealing with and that's the best I can tell you now," Anderson said.
The defense attorney said Martinez can't afford to post the bail and that he's living out of his car as a result of the allegations. He's due back in court for a preliminary hearing in May.
