A former California school janitor has filed a lawsuit against San Bernardino County after spending years in jail on false allegations of child sexual abuse.
In January 2019, Pedro Martinez was arrested and charged with molesting a 6-year-old boy at Maple Elementary School in Hesperia. He was charged with 11 counts of child sexual abuse. Despite a lack of physical evidence, Martinez was incarcerated until his trial in December 2023, where he was acquitted on all charges, KTLA reported.
Martinez filed a lawsuit on Dec. 2 of this year, alleging that his wrongful arrest and conviction were based on the false claims of an accuser with a history of making similar allegations. His attorney previously referred to the accuser as a "mentally ill woman," as reported by KTLA.
The suit also blamed a flawed investigation by the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department. Martinez claimed that law enforcement officers ignored exculpatory evidence, coached witnesses and fabricated testimony to support the charges against him, according to a complaint obtained by the station.
The lawsuit seeks compensatory and punitive damages for the wrongful prosecution and the years Martinez spent in prison.
Martinez's legal team claims that the investigation violated his constitutional rights, including his right to due process and freedom from unreasonable searches.
The sheriff's department has yet to comment on the lawsuit.
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