A DC Superior Court Judge recently dismissed sex crime charges against a special education teacher who alleged assaulted a 9-year old elementary school student. The charges stemmed from a complaint filed on behalf of the child in 2015 for alleged inappropriate conduct that transpired in late 2014.
Police arrested the accused teacher after the child reported the alleged incident to his mother. The teacher was later released with orders to stay away from the child and was barred from having unsupervised contact with children younger than 16 years.
Sex Crime Allegations
The complainant maintained the teacher touched him inappropriately several times. In his defense, the accused teacher testified that the child was engaged in disruptive behavior and that the accused accidentally touched the child while trying to correct his misbehavior in school. In ruling to acquit, the court said that prosecutors failed to show that the accused had intentionally interacted with the child in a manner that constituted sexual assault.
DC Law on Sex Crimes
Criminal laws in Washington, DC punish a variety of sex crimes classified as first, second, third, or fourth degree sexual abuse, or as a misdemeanor.
Any charge of committing a sex crime is serious and can lead to severe penalties such as lengthy jail times, expensive fines, and in certain cases, inclusion of the convicted person in sex offender registry with long-term monitoring. As well, conviction can have a serious impact on the accused person’s chances of employment and on existing personal relationships.
If you are accused of a sex crime, it’s important to speak to an experienced Washington, D.C. criminal defense attorney immediately about raising all defenses that are available in your situation.
Sex Crimes Defenses
Anyone charged with a crime or misdemeanor is entitled to certain rights, including the presumption of innocence until proven guilty. The prosecution has the burden of proving that the accused has committed the crime charged and the quantum of evidence required must be beyond a reasonable doubt – the highest standard of proof in order to convict an accused person.
A skilled and experienced Washington, D.C. sex crimes attorney will examine and weigh the evidence of the prosecution, raise timely objections to inadmissible evidence, and prepare a solid defense in favor of their client.
In the Washington metropolitan area, the law firm of Lotze and Mosley has more than 2 decades of criminal defense experience, having tried over 100 criminal cases in a wide range of crimes, including sex crimes.
Our attorneys are dedicated to defending clients and are prepared to aggressively litigate cases in court. We invite you to call us at (202) 393-0535 to speak to an attorney about your situation.
