SACO — There were all the elements of a real court case – a district court judge, a defense attorney, an assistant district attorney, as well as witnesses and a jury – at the Citizen Police Academy in Saco on Wednesday night.

The students attending the class at the Saco Police Department were getting a taste of what court was really like during a mock trial. 

Twelve of the students were sectioned off to one side of the classroom to serve as the jury. With District Court Judge Jeffrey Moskowitz presiding, Assistant District Attorney Andrew Berggren and local attorney John Webb gave the two sides of the fictional case of Danny Zuko, who was charged with aggravated assault for allegedly trying to strangle his wife Sandy during a domestic dispute.

Court Officer TammyJo Girard played the role of Sandy, a stay-at-home mother. As Sandy, she told the story of the day the alleged assault happened. She said she was tired because she had been taking care of her sick son. Her husband was playing basketball after work with his friends, and she had texted him repeatedly to buy groceries and cold medicine for their son.

When he came home and she discovered he hadn’t bought the brand of ketchup she wanted, she threw the bottle of ketchup on the floor. After she refused to clean up the ketchup spill, he allegedly grabbed her around the neck, pushed her to the floor and demanded she clean the mess up.

Prosecuting attorney Berggren painted a case of a victim stuck in an abusive marriage who one day was tired and upset and had had enough of his drinking and his abuse, and who stayed on in the marriage afterward, because as a stay-at-home parent, she couldn’t afford to do otherwise.

Webb portrayed a woman who didn’t want her husband arrested but just wanted “a time out” from her husband and who refused medical help because she was not in danger.

Moskowitz told jury members to look at the evidence in the case and if they were to charge Danny with aggravated assault for strangulation, they had to be sure beyond a reasonable doubt he acted with extreme indifference to a human life and intentionally, knowingly or recklessly hurt his wife. Strangulation, he said, was defined as putting pressure on the throat to impair circulation of blood or breathing. Moskowitz told jurors not to let feelings of bias or sympathy prejudice their decision.

The jury left the classroom and deliberated in a meeting room. They went around the room discussing the facts. Did the bruises in the pictures submitted as evidence look fresh? Her voice was hoarse in police reports the day of the alleged incident, but there were no details about her voice from the police report two days later? Was her voice hoarse because she was sick, like her son?

After hashing out the case, the jury came back with a verdict of not guilty.

“This was an excellent exercise because it gave us a better understanding of how things work,” said student Linda Hoitt, who attends the Citizen Police Academy with her husband, Mike.

The Citizen Police Academy is designed to give community members an inside look at all aspects of the police department. The nine-week class began Feb. 22 and meets weekly. Police officers volunteer their time for discussion and hands on activities in their areas of expertise. Those who complete the nine week course can opt to take a four hour ride alongside a police officer.

“I think this is fantastic,” said Mike Hoitt. He said the class has given him a better idea of how the police department works and the willingness of the department to host the class shows its commitment to the community.

—Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 325 or [email protected].