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| Sean Marenkovic |
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08/25/2011
OHIO COUNTY - A jury has found a former Ohio County sheriff's deputy guilty of felony sex charges against a teenage girl.
Sean Marenkovic was found guilty Thursday of two counts of sexual assault in the third degree and is now a convicted sex offender.
Marenkovic served as an Ohio County deputy from fall 2001 to summer 2005, and department officials previously said there were no disciplinary issues with Marenkovic. The crimes happened in 2003.
The accusations came to light in late 2010 when the victim was called for jury duty. At that time, she said she was a victim of a sexual assault about eight years ago, when she was 14 years old. Marenkovic was charged in the spring of 2011.
The jury reached its verdict late Thursday morning after two days of trial and hours of deliberation.
The victim wept quietly and Marenkovic sat with his head down as Judge Arthur Recht read the verdict and asked each juror if he or she agreed that Marenkovic was guilty.
Investigators said although the crimes happened years ago, sexual assault will not be tolerated, no matter when it happened.
Assistant Ohio County Prosecutor Shawn Turak said the relationship started with the two chatting online, a fact that Turak said should send a message to parents.
"A young teenage girl was on the Internet talking to someone she didn't know. It turned out to be particularly disturbing in this case because it was a law enforcement officer. So I think parents need to be vigilant," Turak said.
Marenkovic faces one to five years in prison for both convictions. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 21.
