A former Maryland police officer has been convicted of obstructing justice to cover up his sexual assault of a teen in custody.
U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman found Martique Vanderpool guilty after a bench trial in the District of Maryland. The judge determined that Vanderpool falsified a police report to conceal his misconduct during an incident in September 2019.
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Vanderpool and another officer, Phillip Dupree, arrested a 19-year-old woman for speeding.
After learning she only had a learner’s permit, they handcuffed her and took her to the Fairmount Heights police station, which was empty and not equipped for detaining prisoners.
At the station, Vanderpool reportedly told the woman, “We gotta make this right,” and then proceeded to have sex with her. He later falsified a police report to hide the fact that they had taken the woman to the station and that he had assaulted her.
“Martique Vanderpool obstructed justice to cover up his own serious police misconduct,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This former officer’s conduct is a betrayal both of the young woman who was in his care and of the entire law enforcement profession. With this verdict comes accountability for his crime.”
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“When those sworn to uphold the law choose instead to violate it, it undermines the very foundation of our society,” said Assistant Director Chad Yarbrough of the FBI Criminal Investigative Division. “Martique Vanderpool abused his power and violated his oath as a police officer. He betrayed the community that put their trust in him and will now face the consequences of his actions.”
Vanderpool faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. His sentencing is scheduled for February 2025.
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