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A former school janitor who was sentenced to five years in prison for sexually abusing multiple students was acquitted on all charges, according to a complaint filed in District Court earlier this week. He has filed a lawsuit against Bernardino County and the Sheriff’s Department.
Pedro Martinez, of Hesperia, was arrested by San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department officers in January 2019 on suspicion of sexually abusing a 6-year-old boy at Maple Elementary School, where he worked.
At the time of his arrest, investigators said they found additional victims that corroborated the first victim’s claims. They also said there may be other victims who have not yet come forward.
Martinez was ultimately charged with 11 counts of child sexual abuse and was detained pending trial in August 2023.
After a trial that lasted more than three months, Martinez was acquitted of 10 charges and an 11th charge was dismissed midway through the trial.
During the trial, attorney Ian Wallach identified Martinez’s accuser as a “mentally ill woman” who was dating one of the boys’ mothers at the time, and that the claim was filed on Dec. 2, 2024. This was also carried over into the recent complaint.
According to the complaint, Martinez’s accuser is a “self-described opioid addict with a criminal history” who has reportedly made similar accusations against others, and that Martinez “is a self-proclaimed opioid addict with a criminal history.” “They gathered multiple children together for gang rape.”
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The complaint also names several San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department detectives involved in the investigation, adding, “The allegations are so impossible and fanciful that no reasonable person or law enforcement officer , will investigate her background to determine its veracity.” Rather than take her word for it. ”
In a news release announcing the filing of the complaint, Martinez’s attorneys also allege misconduct by prosecutors, including withholding evidence and coaching witnesses.
“Despite overwhelming evidence of his innocence, Pedro Martinez has endured nearly five years of wrongful imprisonment, separated from his family, and false accusations against him,” said Katherine McBroom, Martinez’s co-counsel. “I was forced to endure the stigma.” This is a stark reminder of what happens when an investigation is driven by bias and disregard for due process. ”
The lawsuit seeks compensatory and punitive damages in amounts to be determined at trial, according to the complaint.
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