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Atwater Policeman Acquitted On 2 Sex Charges

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Nov 21, 2008 8:57 pm US/Central

Atwater Policeman Acquitted On 2 Sex Charges

WILLMAR, Minn. (AP) ― A jury has acquitted an Atwater police officer of two counts of criminal sexual conduct.

Paul Reed Schmidt of Atwater had been accused of groping a 22-year-old Atwater woman at the city's police station. She was doing a ride-along with Schmidt when he was on duty Oct. 16, 2007.

A nine-woman, three-man Kandiyohi County jury acquitted Schmidt on Friday evening after about 2 1/2 hours of deliberation.

The 35-year-old Schmidt cried and hugged his wife and his father after the verdict was read. He declined to comment. His attorney, Julius Nolen, says the jury made the right decision.

Michael Lieberg, the Stearns County assistant county attorney who prosecuted the case for Kandiyohi County, says he respects the jury's decision, even though he disagrees with it.

(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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