[OH] Ex-Officer Sanchez's conviction stands. (6 years later Sarah is still afraid of police.)

An appeals court has upheld the stalking conviction of former Lorain police Officer Jesus Sanchez... “She [Sarah Long] said that, six years after the final incident, she is still scared of police officers and is often scared to leave her house,” the decision stated... Earlier this year, the city agreed to pay Long $175,000 to settle a lawsuit she had filed against the city, accusing it of turning a blind eye to the sexual misconduct of its officers, including Sanchez...

Previous posts:

• [OH] Sarah says police ignored her fear of Officer Sanchez - ...During the trial, Long said she had complained about Sanchez harassing her to several officers after she first met him in 2000, including to her neighbor, Capt. William Engle, but nothing was ever done. Instead, she said, Sanchez continued to pull her over, call her on the phone, stop by her house and shine a spotlight from his cruiser on her home...
• [OH] Wife of convicted Lorain police officer rented a billboard so citizens will know who to cal - ...Marsha Sanchez said the billboard has nothing to do with her husband, who has yet to be sentenced...
• [OH] Ex-Officer Jesus Sanchez gets only 60 days - His victim is mad - Sanchez's Victim: ..."I'm very disappointed... I wrote in my calendar that 'Justice Day' was today. I feel that justice wasn't served... You laugh, point and tease as if you were being tried for stealing a candy bar... For nearly a decade, I've been living in a prison in my home, my heart and in my mind"...
• [OH] Stalking victim of then-Officer Jesus Sanchez, Sara Long, wins lawsuit against the City of Lorain for tolerating it's bad cops - The city of Lorain reached a settlement Friday with a woman who had accused the city of ignoring the sexual misconduct of its police officers, including one who was convicted of stalking her. Sarah Long will receive $175,000 under the agreement...
  

SANCHEZ STALKING CONVICTION UPHELD
Morning Journal
By Kelly Metz
October 02, 2010
[Excerpts] Former Lorain police officer Jesus Sanchez’s 2008 stalking conviction was upheld in an appeals court, according to a unanimous decision out of the 9th District Court of Appeals Thursday. Sanchez was found guilty of menacing by stalking by Lorain County Common Pleas Edward Zaleski after Lorain resident Sarah Long filed a complaint in Sept. 2002... Long was awarded $175,000 in January from the city of Lorain after she filed a lawsuit stemming from the stalking. Sanchez’s attorney Terry Gilbert filed the appeal, stating there was insufficient evidence to convict his client... Long testified she had to seek therapy and began taking medication to control mood problems and panic attacks stemming from her encounters with Sanchez, the decision stated. “She said that, six years after the final incident, she is still scared of police officers and is often scared to leave her house,” the decision stated, referencing Long’s 2008 testimony in trial... Sanchez argued because Long lacked corroboration for her story, waited more than a year to file a police report and because her testimony lacked credibility, it should not be used against him. The appeals court, however, found the “trial court did not lose its way in finding Mr. Sanchez guilty of menacing by stalking”... The appeals court also overruled Sanchez’s argument that he was not entitled to view discovery of the case. [Full article here]

FORMER OFFICER’S STALKING CONVICTION UPHELD
Chronical Telegram
Filed by Brad Dicken
October 1st, 2010
[Excerpts] An appeals court has upheld the stalking conviction of former Lorain police Officer Jesus Sanchez. In a unanimous decision announced Thursday, the 9th District Court of Appeals wrote that Lorain County Common Pleas Judge Edward Zaleski had sufficient evidence to find Sanchez guilty of menacing by stalking. Sanchez retired from the Police Department after Zaleski, who heard the case instead of a jury, handed down the guilty verdict. Sanchez later was sentenced to serve 60 days in the county jail. Sanchez was convicted of stalking Sarah Long, a woman he met in late 2000 at a bingo game where he was working security. During the 2008 trial, Long testified that at first Sanchez seemed nice enough, but as they knew each other longer his behavior changed and he began stalking her... He began calling her, pulling her over and stopping by her house. In once instance, Long testified, Sanchez kissed her and tried to force his hand down her pants while holding her arms above her head. During that same encounter, Long said during the trial, Sanchez rubbed her pregnant belly. Earlier this year, the city agreed to pay Long $175,000 to settle a lawsuit she had filed against the city, accusing it of turning a blind eye to the sexual misconduct of its officers, includ­ing Sanchez. During the trial and again in the appeal, Sanchez’s lawyer, Terry Gilbert, argued that Sanchez was targeted for prosecution because of an affidavit he signed as part of a settlement agreement with Long. The affi­davit detailed what Sanchez had done and leveled accusations at several other Lorain police officers. Prosecutors countered that Sanchez was charged because he admitted to criminal activity in the affidavit... [Full article here]
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