Jury: Ex-rookie Leesburg Police Department officer not guilty of rape

TAVARES — A Lake County jury on Thursday found former Leesburg rookie police officer Dennis Putnam not guilty of rape.

“This is a case where Mr. Putnam has maintained his innocence for the past five years,” said his attorney, Kendell Ali.

Putnam was a 24-year-old in training when a woman told investigators that she had consumed alcohol at a housewarming party at the home of Putnam and his girlfriend on March 5, 2017, fell asleep, and woke up to Putnam fondling her breasts.

“What the… are you doing?” she testified as to her response. He then continued assaulting her, even though she repeatedly told him to stop.

He reportedly told her, “that if I didn’t like it I would have stopped a long time ago.”

She said she was afraid to scream for fear she would be harmed further.

The Daily Commercial does not name alleged rape victims.

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Putnam’s girlfriend, Yareli Artega, who later married him, defended her husband when she took the witness stand Wednesday.

“… she was drinking heavily,” Yareli Putnam said.

There was a lot of alcohol at the party, including Jell-O shots, a mixture of gelatin and vodka.

Asked about her friend of 10 years' reputation in the community, she said, “It was known that she was a liar.”

"The victim is not on trial here,” said Assistant State Attorney Kaitlyn Macomber, who described part of the defense strategy as "character assassination.”

But Putnam was innocent, Ali said.

“The jury agreed and acquitted him despite the jury not knowing that she made an allegation against another person 17 months ago,” Ali said.

Before the jury began deliberations, defense attorney Buck Blankner asked Circuit Judge G. Richard Singeltary for a judgment of acquittal.

Many of the woman’s statements were “I can’t remember,” he argued.

DNA evidence in Putnam's case inconclusive

A DNA expert from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement crime lab testified that she found some body fluid on the woman’s abdomen, and possibly what she called "touch genetic material" matching Putnam on the woman’s breast.

It was his saliva, prosecutors said. It was skin transfer, the defense attorneys said.

The defense also presented a brief video clip of the woman riding piggyback on Putnam at the party, which Blankner said might explain how some of Putnam’s DNA ended up on her body. In his closing argument, he kept referring to touch DNA, or transfer of skin cells.

Macomber dismissed that notion. The woman was fully clothed when she climbed on his back, she said.

Ali agreed that DNA evidence is key in rape cases, and crime labs can identify semen specifically, Ali said. But in this case, none was found, including where you would expect to find it.

Yareli Putnam testified that she wasn’t sure when the woman left their home but later that morning, she received a text from her telling not to read the following message in Putnam’s presence.

That message was: “He raped me.”

She said she had to ask who she was talking about, and the woman said “Dennis."

“He was shocked,” Yareli Putnam said, when she confronted him with the message.

The six-member jury heard the woman’s testimony, and Putnam’s, and jurors saw videotaped statements he made to investigators.

“He stated that he did not have any sexual contact …,” the probable cause stated. “He advised that his semen would not be located in the guest bedroom or [her]. When asked if it was found … he replied he would need an attorney.”

Police had the woman make a recorded phone call to Putnam.

Among the things she said was that there would be “consequences.”

“Please don’t go full cycle with this,” he said.

She asked what she was supposed to do, since Yareli Putnam was her best friend.

“I can tell you, you’ll never have to see me again,” he replied.

The Leesburg Police Department turned the case over to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. He was hired as a probationary employee on Dec. 29, 2016. He was terminated when he was arrested.

Putnam’s plan now, Ali said, “is to live his life with his wife."

Macomber could not be reached for comment.

This article originally appeared on Daily Commercial: Jury: Ex-rookie Leesburg Police Department officer not guilty of rape