Lake Co. sheriff gets plea deal
Martinez receives misdemeanor for reckless driving
The criminal case against Lake County Sheriff Oscar Martinez ended Monday after he landed a three-page plea deal for class C misdemeanor reckless driving.
Martinez, 52, denied in court that he was fleeing from the cops, which contradicted statements of at least two Crown Point police officers.
He was sentenced to two months probation — to be overseen by Newton County due to his conflict of interest. Lawyers agreed that he has no restrictions on leaving Lake County.
The hearing lasted less than a half hour.
Are you guilty, Special Judge Jeryl Leach asked.
“Yes, I am,” Martinez responded.
Special Prosecutor Stanley Levco said they planned at trial to argue Martinez endangered lives by driving 96 mph on Main Street on Sept. 18, 2021.
Defense lawyer Paul Stracci said they agreed with the facts outlined in the plea deal. Martinez addressed the court after he was briefly sentenced.
He had “sincere remorse,” adding Lake County residents “expected better” of him.
“I did not flee law enforcement,” he said, noting there was “no excuse” for his actions. “I understand why my behavior drew the attention of law enforcement.”
Leach said “none of us are perfect”, and it was about “how we address our problems”.
Martinez was charged Jan. 6, 2022, with level 6 felony resisting law enforcement and misdemeanor reckless driving.
Court records allege Crown Point police officers tried to pull over a black SUV on Sept. 18, 2021, at Taft Street/Main Street, which ws going “well over” the 45 mph speed limit. The driver turned east on U.S. 30. As they caught up, the SUV driver turned on his police lights and they broke off the pursuit.
Stracci and co-counsel J. Michael Woods argued Jan. 26 that Levco and Special Prosecutor David Thomas should not be allowed to bring up “allegations” Martinez was “intoxicated” — including “out-of-court statements” — or any other “character evidence” saying it was “speculative,” “unreliable” and “inadmissible” for trial, according to court filings.
Investigators allege Martinez was at a bar, Buddy and Pal’s in Crown Point, around 11 p.m. prior to the encounter with police where he gave his phone number to a man who runs a local crime website, according to court documents.
A Crown Point patrolman noted
he saw a black Jeep Trackhawk driving north on Main Street about 11:30 p.m., estimating it was “near 100 miles per hour” in a 45-mph zone. Another patrolman heading south clocked the Jeep with radar at 96 miles per hour, according to court documents.
The second patrolman turned northbound and two police cars pursued. One patrolman reported they were “weaving in-and-out of traffic” and passing other cars “at a high rate of speed.”
The Jeep “slowed” as they got near U.S. 30 and switched to the right lane. It turned onto U.S. 30 and the high-speed pursuit continued.
Near Merrillville Road, the Jeep’s driver turned on red and blue police lights. The Crown Point officers broke off their pursuit.
A witness spotted the Jeep parked in a Merrillville cigar shop about an hour later.
One of the original pursuing officers went to check out the Jeep and ran the registration, tracing it back to the Lake County Sheriff ’s Department.