Oct. 18--HOPEWELL -- A former Hopewell police officer was sentenced to 30 years in prison yesterday for sexually assaulting three local women while on duty. Mark D. Baggett, 34, of Colonial Heights, will have to serve six years of the sentence with the remaining years being suspended.
"Hopewell Police has zero tolerance for police misconduct," Deputy Chief Robert Skowron said after sentencing. "Mr. Baggett violated his oath of office and he is a disgrace to the uniform. He was a predator with a badge and a gun and I am glad that we have him off the street," Skowron said.
In June, Baggett pleaded guilty to three counts of aggravated sexual battery. In exchange for the pleas, prosecutors dropped a fourth charge of forcible sodomy.
Yesterday, he maintained his innocence, stating that he agreed to the plea deal only because he believed he would have received a longer sentence after a jury trial. "I was worried that I will be separated from my wife and stepdaughter for a longer time," Baggett read from a prepared statement.
Baggett had been with the Hopewell police department since 2008. Last year, he used his position as a law enforcement officer to elicit sex, or attempt to elicit sex from the women by arresting them on charges of DUI or petty crimes, prosecutors said.
Hopewell Police Chief John Keohane said that Hopewell police began investigating Baggett after one of his victims filed a complaint. "We were able to substantiate her complaints and we had the officer suspended within 48 hours," Keohane said.
Keohane said that police also conducted a check of Baggett's case arrests and found two further cases "that looked suspicious." Keohane then turned the investigation over to Virginia State Police, adding that he applauded the first victim for reporting her case. "She turned in a dirty cop," he said.
Baggett was arrested in January and resigned from his duties as a police officer.
Yesterday, Circuit Court Judge Samuel E. Campbell expressed some sympathy for Baggett after defense attorney Peter Eliades had told the court about his client's difficult upbringing. "His childhood was rocky at best," Eliades said.
Baggett's mother was barely a teenager when she had him and she battled substance abuse problems. Baggett, who never knew his father, was raised by his grandparents and dropped out of high school. Both his grandparents and mother have died. "The history of this young man is very sad," Campbell said.
But there were signs of hope, too. As a teenager, Baggett discovered his passion for public service and became a certified firefighter. In his 20s, he went back to school and later served as a medic, firefighter and law enforcement officer, even volunteering to work in Iraq.
Battling extreme obesity for years, Baggett underwent surgery and dropped more than 250 pounds. He was hired by Hopewell Police in 2008 and met his wife two years later. The couple got married just four months prior to his arrest, with Baggett raising his wife's 3-year-old daughter.
Campbell considered the circumstances of Baggett's life before sentencing, including his clean prior criminal record. "But putting on the blue uniform put him in a place of trust," Campbell said. "The public has a right to believe that this is a person you can turn to, and this community will not stand for officers who do not follow the law," he said.
Chesterfield County Deputy Commonwealth's Attorney M. Duncan Minton Jr., who was appointed special prosecutor for this case, had asked for a harsher punishment. "This man is a predator, and he shows no remorse," he said.
Minton said that Baggett had accused two of his victims of sexually assaulting him. "He said that one woman had threatened him with a box cutter and forced him to perform sexual acts while another had showed up at his apartment and demanded sex," Minton said. "He views himself as the victim, it makes no sense," he said.
Minton also said that Baggett abused the power of his office. "He's not just a regular person off the street, he put on a uniform and people trusted him," Minton said. "He made the job for other police officers more difficult and this needs to be handled severely."
Before sentencing, Baggett -- whose wife and friends continue to support him -- said under tears that not being able to hug his stepdaughter for a long time has been "torture to me." But Baggett did have no explanation for the accusations against him, nor did he apologize to his victims. He maintained his innocence.
Campbell sentenced Baggett to 10 years in prison for each offense, with eight years suspended, totaling six years that he will have to serve. Campbell called the sentence "fair and just for both the commonwealth and the defendant."
- Markus Schmidt may be reached at 804-722-5172 or [email protected].
Copyright 2012 - The Progress-Index, Petersburg, Va.
