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Southern California school janitor who spent years in jail acquitted of child sexual abuse

JOSHUA TREE, Calif. (AP) — A former Southern California elementary school janitor who spent years in jail after being accused of sexually abusing students has been acquitted of all charges. His attorneys say Pedro Martinez of Hesperia, who’s been jailed since January 2019, was found not guilty on Monday on all 10 counts against him. His lawyers say Martinez was wrongly accused by a woman while working at Maple Elementary School in Hesperia. His attorneys say there wasn’t any legitimate evidence against him and accuse the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department and the District Attorney’s Office of bungling and misconduct in the case. The DA’s office said the outcome of the case “was not what we were seeking” but thanked jurors for their work.

Article Topic Follows: AP National

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