OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA – The Oklahoma City police officer accused of sexually abusing a teenage boy was arrested again Friday in what police said was a sting operation after tips led authorities to the runaway teen in Utah. Police said officers used a Taser while making the arrest.
Police Sgt. Maurice Martinez was arrested about 1:45 a.m. in a traffic stop at SE 44 and Sooner Road, police Capt. Patrick Stewart said. Martinez was pulled over as he was driving to a meeting that, unbeknown to him, had been set up by investigators.
Police accuse Martinez of buying the boy a bus ticket to Utah and arranging for him to stay with people Martinez knew.
Martinez has not been charged, but Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater said he anticipates filing “numerous, numerous” felony counts against Martinez. Prater said the officer also could face federal charges.
“There has been a significant improvement in the case against Mr. Martinez,” Prater said Friday.
Prater said police have information that Martinez made threats against people who are potential witnesses against him.
“I’m going to suppose they had surveillance on him,” Martinez’s attorney, Irven Box, said Friday. “I believe they may have had wiretaps on the phone. There is some explanation of why he was doing what he was doing that I can’t reveal at this time.”
Martinez resisted police as they tried to arrest him, and an officer used a Taser once to get him under control and restrain him, Stewart said. One of Martinez’s adopted sons, a runaway from Department of Human Services custody, was with Martinez but ran from police. The teen called 911 from Del City later in the night after getting cold and is now back in state custody.
Police get tips
Two phone calls, one to 911, on Thursday evening were the catalysts in a fast-unfolding sequence that led to Martinez’s arrest and the recovery of the runaway teenagers, Stewart said.
Martinez, 44, was first arrested Jan. 19 at his southeast Oklahoma City home after a teenage boy told confidants at church Martinez sexually abused him.
Police found hundreds of pornographic images of young males in states of undress, in a search of Martinez’s home, according to court documents.
All of Martinez’s foster and minor adopted sons were taken into state custody in January but two ran away, police said. The other runaway was reported as being back in state custody shortly afterward.
It is unclear whether the teen found in the car with Martinez on Friday was that same boy and whether he had again escaped from DHS custody. Department of Human Services has declined to comment on the custody status of any of the boys.
The tips Thursday spurred interviews by investigators and led them to the boy who first reported the abuse. He was found in Tooele, Utah, Stewart said. Tooele police have not made any arrests and said Friday they do not think the person who was taking care of the teen knew he was a runaway.
Police in the new arrest added two complaints of harboring a runaway juvenile, seven complaints of sexual abuse by a caretaker, two counts of forcible sodomy and one count of kidnapping to the sex abuse complaints from January.
Investigators set up what Martinez thought would be a meeting with someone early Friday, Stewart said. He said he couldn’t elaborate on whom Martinez had been led to think he was going to meet.
Police did not know Martinez would have the boy with him when they pulled him over, Stewart said.
Martinez is being held in the Oklahoma County jail, and bail was denied by a judge on Friday. He is in a cell without other inmates, Oklahoma County sheriff’s spokesman Mark Myers said.
Box said he is puzzled by the time between the original arrest in January and the arrest Friday.
“The length of time between his original arrest and today’s date is puzzling because of the lag,” Box said.
“As of this minute, I haven’t seen one piece of evidence that shows he has committed a crime, but I have not been privy to all the police reports.”
Martinez has denied the allegations behind the January arrest and said police botched the investigation.
The boy found Thursday in Utah is purportedly shown in a series of videos given to police and the news media after the January arrest. In the videos a boy is seen making statements that he lied to investigators when he accused Martinez of abusing him.
Police allege Martinez arranged for those videos and was present when they were taken.
Police in March arrested a man they accuse of breaking into Martinez’s house during an overnight break in the January police search of the residence. Investigators allege the man removed evidence and planted evidence at Martinez’s behest.
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