Police Inspector Charged with Wounding Detainee

An inspector of police finds himself on the opposite side of the law tonight as he faces a charge of Wounding. Christopher Martinez is accused of wounding Aaron Flowers while he was detained on June nineteenth of last year. Today Martinez asked the court for a sentence indication on grounds that he is contemplating pleading guilty. He will get that indication on May twenty-third, when he can decide if he still wants to plead guilty or whether he wants to take his chances at trial. Martinez remains on active duty with the Special Patrol Unit, pending the outcome of his criminal case. The allegation against him is that in June of 2023, Martinez wounded a businessman whom he beat up while he was detained inside a holding cell. It is alleged that Martinez took the padlock from the cell area and inflicted injuries to Flowers’ head. Martinez appeared in court today in the presence of his attorney, Andrew Bennett, while the Crown was represented by the D.P.P., Cheryl-Lynn Vidal. The request for a sentence indication today was a turn of events because Martinez had maintained his innocence and at his arraignment almost a year ago. The victim, Aaron Flowers, was present to testify against Martinez, but again the matter was adjourned for another in a series of adjournments over the year. Issues discussed before the adjournment included what sentencing is the Crown seeking for the crime should Martinez plead guilty; what were the injuries sustained by the victim and what was used to inflict the injury; and the fact that the defendant is a police officer. The D.P.P. indicated that the Prosecution is expecting a just sentence, which may not necessarily mean a custodial sentence. A video footage shows that Martinez removed a pad lock from the cell block area and that was he used to assault Flowers with.