Jason Pohl
A former Longmont police
officer who pleaded guilty last year to taking photos of a sleeping woman while
he sexually assaulted her must register as a sex offender, serve six months of
jail work release and may be on probation for the next eight years, a judge
ordered Tuesday.
Christopher Martinchick, 43,
was arrested in July after the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office began
investigating allegations that an assault had occurred against a woman who
Martinchick knew. The victim alleged he raped her after she took medications to
help her sleep. The Coloradoan is withholding her identity due to the nature of
the case.
Martinchick pleaded guilty in
November to an amended felony count of sexual assault and misdemeanor invasion
of privacy for sexual gratification, which was tied to graphic photos later
discovered on his cellphone despite his efforts to erase them.
“I know I violated (the
woman’s) trust,” Martinchick told 8th Judicial District Judge Julie Kunce Field
moments before the sentence was imposed. “I am truly sorry that I did that.”
Defense attorneys maintained
the disgraced officer already was going through classes required as part of the
Sex Offender Intensive Supervised Probation program. They argued he has
progressed immensely and could complete the classes within two years, arguing
that he also must deal with the “stigma” resulting from the case every day —
something they said had taken its toll on Martinchick.
The Larimer County District
Attorney’s Office, however, stressed that Martinchick needed longer than a
two-year probation sentence, citing what they deemed a moderate-to-high risk of
re-offending. Prosecutors also maintained that he “utterly” betrayed the woman,
his children and the community he served as a police officer. Martinchick was
assigned to the Longmont Police Department’s traffic unit where he had attained
the rank of a master police officer — a higher rank than a standard patrol
officer but below a sergeant.
“I do realize that I have an
issue that I need to address,” Martinchick said, adding later, “I let a lot of
people down. I would like the opportunity to make amends.”
Martinchick posted his $25,000
bond just days after being arrested in July. He is now permitted to spend time
with his children but must not have any contact with anyone younger than age 18
without clearance from the probation department, the judge ordered, reiterating
that his actions were a “betrayal of trust” and “a conduct that is, to put it
mildly, dishonorable.”
“I think you’ve got a ways to
go,” Field added.
Longmont police previously issued
a statement that said “there was no threat to the general public during this
investigation nor was it related to Mr. Martinchick’s employment as a police
officer.”
Since his September resignation
from the force, Martinchick has taken up work as a delivery driver. He declined
to address reporters outside the courtroom.