The Justice Department on Tuesday announced that a former New Mexico deputy sheriff has pleaded guilty to violating the civil rights of a female that he sexually assaulted in 2023. The incident is a gruesome example of a law enforcement officer abusing his position.
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Michael A. Martinez, 34, also pleaded guilty to obstructing justice after attempting to dismantle his patrol car’s WatchGuard DVR system.
Martinez was arrested in September 2023 and accused of kidnapping and sexually assaulting an unnamed female victim. From a report at that time:
According to a complaint filed in federal court by an Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent, a sheriff’s office report of the incident says that Martinez responded to a car crash and detained the driver under suspicion that she had been drinking and driving carelessly. Martinez reportedly took her to get a medical check and eventually booked her at the county detention center.
Later, Martinez told others at the sheriff’s office that his patrol car had been robbed or damaged. When a sergeant looked through the patrol car, the vehicle’s DVR video recording system and radio were damaged. But further investigation revealed no evidence of forced entry into the car, the FBI agent claims.
The DVR’s memory was recovered and allegedly revealed a video of Martinez sexually assaulting the handcuffed woman in the patrol car. The court documents say Martinez was fired in August, following the incident. He was hired with the department last November as a later hire.
Now, Martinez has been arrested. The arrest doesn’t prove Martinez’s guilt. He is considered innocent until proven otherwise. But if convicted, he could face life in prison, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
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Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division explained that Martinez “weaponized his authority, exploited the power of his badge, handcuffed the victim and assaulted her in the backseat of his vehicle.”
She added: “We cannot and must not normalize police sexual violence and exploitation.”
U.S. Attorney Alexander M. Uballez for the District of New Mexico stated that “Being accused of a crime does not deprive you of the basic human right to dignity and respect” and asserted that “If you abuse your position of authority and betray the oath you swore to the public by sexually assaulting those in your charge, your badge will not shield you from justice.”
The DOJ’s press release explains how the former deputy tried to cover up his crime, which resulted in the obstruction charge.
Several hours later, Martinez attempted to physically destroy his patrol car’s WatchGuard DVR system, which is the patrol car’s internal video camera system that, among other things, records and stores footage from the patrol car’s backseat camera. Martinez, correctly, believed that the DVR system contained a video recording of him sexually assaulting the victim in the backseat of his patrol car and attempted to destroy and conceal that recording from any future investigation.
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Martinez’s sentencing will be set for a later date; he faces up to 10 years in prison and up to three years of supervised release. The former deputy will also be required to pay compensation to the victim and register as a sex offender when released.