The Orange County Criminal Lawyer Blog
A woman in West Palm Beach who was being apprehended for shoplifting accused a deputy of raping her during her transport for booking, and she is now facing charges due to the belief that she lied about the sexual assault.
In January, Marley Barberian was accused of shoplifting nearly $70 in merchandise from a Target store.
After two deputies responded, and as Barberian was being removed from the premised, she reportedly slapped the male deputy and he placed her on the ground to affix handcuffs so she could be taken to the county jail.
On the way to the jail, Barberian alleged that the 55-year-old male deputy she said was escorting her had pulled the car off of the road to a deserted area where he stuck a gun in her mouth and sexually assaulted her. She additionally reportedly stated that she was under the impression that if she complied she would be set free.
During an investigation into the claims, the video footage from inside of the police vehicle that was allegedly from the time period that Barberian said the rape had occurred was reviewed. The video reportedly revealed that a female officer drove Barberian directly to the jail and it allegedly contained a timestamp starting when she was placed in the car and concluding when they arrived and she was removed from the car.
The accused deputy denied any inappropriate behavior ensued during the time that he encountered Barberian when he was interviewed regarding the allegations.
The inconsistencies between the allegations made by Barberian and the collected evidence from the investigation led the officials to believe that the woman had made up the story about the rape.
23-year-old Barberian was taken into custody and booked into the county jail based on the suspicion that she lied when she reported the deputy, and she is facing one felony count of accusing a law-enforcement officer of sexual battery. She was released on bail two days later.
If Barberian is convicted as charged she could face a sentence of up to 5 years in prison in addition to a $5000 fine.
If you or someone you love is suspected of a crime, contact Orange County criminal defense lawyer Staycie R. Sena at (949) 477-8088 for a consultation now.