By Dan Morse
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
A Montgomery County jury Monday acquitted former Maryland State Trooper Marlon Iglesias of three sex offense charges related to a woman handcuffed after a DUI stop but found the trooper guilty of a charge of misconduct in office.
Charges against the trooper hinged primarily on the word of the alleged victim, who nearly a year after the traffic stop told authorities Iglesias has inappropriately touched and fondled her after she’d been pulled over on Interstate 270, handcuffed and taken to a nearby station. But during testimony, the alleged victim’s record for honesty was cast in doubt.
At the trial, the alleged victim testified that Iglesias handcuffed her and placed her in the front seat of his police car. She said that on the way to the station, he touched her thigh. She alleged that after she’d gotten to the station, he touched or fondled her at least two more times. And as he was letting her go from the station, she said, he also kissed her.
The jury deliberated for about four hours Friday. Jurors came back Monday morning and deliberated for nearly an hour.
The split verdict may have reflected jurors’ thinking that something untoward happened after the stop but not enough to deliver a more serious finding.
“We are very pleased that the jury acquitted him of all three felony charges,” said Iglesias’s attorney, Andrew Jezic, adding he will appeal the guilty charge.
“We are quite pleased with the jury’s verdict,” said Montgomery County Deputy State’s Attorney John Maloney. “The jury did not hear about a very similar incident that former trooper Iglesias had with another female, whom he had in his cruiser in January of 2009, shortly before he resigned in April 2009. That previous incident will be addressed along with his misconduct with the victim in this case at sentencing.”
Jezic said the incident was “investigated fully” by the state police, and charges were never brought.
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