A teacher facing charges of lewd acts on a child and child annoyance was found not guilty in court after his criminal defense attorneys at Wallin & Klarich were able to prove his innocence to the jury.
Our client, a substitute teacher in Orange County, was accused of committing a lewd act against a middle school student. If convicted, our client would have faced up to eight years in state prison and a felony conviction on his criminal record. He also would have been required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
From the beginning of the case, our client stated that any touching was accidental and it occurred during the course of monitoring his students in gym class while playing basketball. Our skilled criminal defense attorneys were able to show the jury that our client was not guilty of all charges.
Through careful investigation and cross-examination, our criminal attorneys showed that the two witnesses who appeared in the police report were unreliable, and that our client had a history of exemplary behavior as a substitute teacher. Witnesses including our client’s wife of six years, a former co-worker, and a medical expert testified that our client did not fit the profile of someone who has a sexual interest in children.
The jury agreed. Our client was found not guilty on both charges.
“Through all witness testimony and through cross-examination, we were able to show the jury that this incident was accidental, and that our client is not the type of person who would commit this crime. We are very pleased with the verdict reached by the jury,” Wallin & Klarich Senior Partner Paul Wallin said.