Longmont man sentenced to work release and probation in sex assault case

Mitchell Byars, Daily Camera, Boulder, Colo.
·3 min read

Oct. 16—A Longmont man accused of raping a woman following a party in 2019 was sentenced Friday to probation and work release following input from the victim in the case.

Anthony Charles Martin, 23, pleaded guilty in July to second-degree assault and invasion of privacy for sexual gratification.

Friday, Martin was sentenced by Boulder District Judge Bruce Langer to five years probation and 60 days of work release. Martin will remain out of custody as he awaits a work release bed at the Boulder County Jail.

He will have to register as a sex offender and undergo sex offender treatment.

The sentence went along with the recommendation of the pre-sentence investigation, and both prosecutors and Martin's defense attorney agreed it was an appropriate resolution.

Boulder Deputy District Attorney Michael Petrash said it was not the plea deal they initially offered Martin, who at one point was set to stand trial. But Petrash said the victim and her family showed "grace, compassion and understanding" in asking for a plea deal that would help Martin get treatment.

"That's what they want most, for him to take another path, for him really to acknowledge the harm he caused and acknowledge what he did was wrong," Petrash said.

According to an affidavit, the victim called police on June 13, 2019, and said she had been sexually assaulted after a party the previous night. Results from the sexual assault examination found Martin's DNA on the woman and the woman's blood on Martin and his clothes.

"I'm forever changed for the worse," the woman said at the hearing Friday. "I have lost my sense of personal safety. ... No night will ever be quiet for me again."

But while the woman said the "betrayal hurts as much as the physical trauma," she at one point considered Martin a friend and hoped he could find a way to get the help he needed.

"I carry no hatred in my heart for him," she said.

Martin also spoke at the hearing.

I want to apologize to the victim and her family," Martin said. "I will never put myself in a situation to do that again. ... I plan on taking this and going the right way."

Martin's defense attorney Nicole Collins acknowledged the disposition was slightly unusual, and thanked the DA's Office and the victim for giving Martin a chance to get out of a "downward spiral."

"Credit both to Mr. Petrash and to (the victim) to be able to find the ability to perhaps not forgive Mr. Martin, but to be compassionate and in a way advocate for something better, and we certainly recognize and appreciate the magnitude of being able to do that given the circumstances," Collins said.

Langer expressed similar comments in his closing remarks in what he said was "an extremely serious case."

"I think that given everything I've heard, and certainly with acknowledgement of (the victim's) compassion, I think this is an appropriate disposition," Langer said.