A Bayfield teenager charged with sexually assaulting a classmate was found “not guilty” Friday night by a jury in La Plata County.
Tyler Beebe, 17, was greeted with hugs from his mother and father and two defense lawyers after the verdicts were read.
Beebe was charged with felony sexual assault, felony kidnapping and misdemeanor assault.
A jury of six men and six women deliberated for about 10 hours Friday before reaching a not-guilty verdict on all three counts.
Prosecutors said Beebe forcibly grabbed a girl by the neck, dragged her into the bushes and sexually assaulted her May 9, 2012, about a quarter mile from the Pine Valley Church, 1328 County Road 501 in Bayfield. Two other girls said they also were raped by Beebe, but those allegations were not part of last week’s trial.
Defense lawyers said the girls fabricated the story and spread rumors around Bayfield High School. School officials learned of the allegations and notified police.
Beebe’s family believed the justice system would work, and it did, said Durango defense lawyer David Greenberg.
In general, The Durango Herald does not name juveniles accused of a crime. But it does in some cases, including a crime that would be a felony if committed by an adult.
The five-day trial began Monday.
About 20 people, including several high school students, took the witness stand. Beebe, who remains in juvenile custody pending other offenses, did not testify in his own defense. He was scheduled for a one-day trial Tuesday on suspicion of two counts of sexual exploitation of a child, but the trial has been postponed.
Deputy District Attorney David Ottman said Beebe and the alleged victim were friends, but the girl lost her friend and met a “stranger” when Beebe grabbed her by the neck, carried her into the bushes, threw her to the ground and sexually assaulted her near a ponderosa tree. Part of a condom wrapper was found nearby, according to courtroom testimony.
Afterward, the high school wrestler walked away without saying a word, Ottman said. He sent a text message apologizing for his actions, and the girl texted back, “Leave me alone.”
The alleged assault went unreported for several months.
The girl eventually met another girl who said she was sexually assaulted by Beebe. The second girl was more vocal about her experience and shared it with other students, including Beebe’s friends and girlfriends.
Teachers and school officials eventually learned of the rumors and notified the Bayfield Marshal’s Office, which investigated the case and arrested Beebe early this year.
In addition to facing two more counts of sexual exploitation of a child, a warrant has been issued out of New Mexico for Beebe on similar charges. He is being housed at the Robert E. DeNier Youth Services Center in Durango.
During her closing arguments, defense lawyer Ingrid Alt said the stories told by the three girls simply don’t add up. She asked jurors to consider how a 107-pound boy would lift a girl by the neck, carry her with one arm into the bushes, hold her down, remove her tight jeans, remove his own pants and put on a condom.
“It’s not possible,” Alt said.
The girl gave inconsistent statements about whether her pants were pulled to her ankles or all the way off, which would have required removing her shoes, Alt said.
The girl said she covered up bruises on her body by wearing makeup and turtlenecks, but no one ever saw any sign of bruising or remembers her wearing turtlenecks during May 2012, Alt said.
She faulted the Bayfield Marshal’s Office for failing to do basic police work, including take measurements, investigate the condom wrapper and obtain phone records.The Marshal’s Office also allowed all three girls who accused Beebe of rape to be interviewed together instead of separately, Alt said.
Efforts to reach an official from the Marshal’s Office were unsuccessful Friday.
Alt asked jurors to not convict an innocent boy.
“This is a recipe for how we get wrongful convictions,” she said.
shane@durangoherald.com
