DOÑA ANA COUNTY, NM (TCD) — The 34-year-old former sheriff's deputy recently pleaded guilty to a charge of sexually assaulting a female captor in his patrol car in 2023 and then attempting to destroy video of the incident.
The U.S. Department of Justice announced on Tuesday, April 23 that Michael Martinez pleaded guilty to violating the civil rights of a woman under arrest by sexually assaulting her and obstructing justice after attempting to destroy a recorded video of the assault. . Martinez could be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison and up to three years of supervised release. He will be sentenced at a later date.
According to the Department of Justice, on April 30, 2023, Martinez, then a deputy with the Doña Ana County Sheriff's Office, responded to a motor vehicle accident and arrested a woman on charges of driving under the influence and reckless driving. Martinez took the woman to her medical center and was cleared. Prosecutors later said he handcuffed the victim, dragged her to a patrol car, sexually assaulted her, and then took her to the Doña Ana Detention Center.
According to the Department of Justice, Martinez shortly thereafter attempted to destroy the patrol car's WatchGuard DVR system in an attempt to conceal his crimes. The system reportedly included in-vehicle video cameras showing footage of the assault.
Records show Martinez was first arrested on September 20, 2023, and charged with deprivation of rights under the law and obstruction of justice. If he had been tried and found guilty, he could have been sentenced to life in prison.
“Police sexual violence against women in custody is a heinous crime that cannot be tolerated in our society,” said Christine Clark, Assistant Attorney General for the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division.
Alexander MM Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, added: “Being accused of a crime does not deprive one of one’s fundamental rights to human dignity and respect, even if one abuses one’s position of authority and betrays the oath one has sworn to the public.” “Your badge will not protect you from justice if you sexually assault someone in your charge.”
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