Trial begins for former CCPD officer accused of sex with minors

FORT MYERS, Fla.- The trial of a former Cape Coral Police Department officer accused of having sex with minors began Thursday with testimony of one of the alleged victims.

Casey Ortiz, 35, is accused of having sex with two underage girls while on duty. Thursday’s trial is the first of two sexual assault cases against the former officer.

During opening statements, the prosecutor told the jury that Ortiz took a 16-year-old girl on a series of ride-alongs in his patrol car in 2014, but never submitted the proper paperwork to CCPD.

The now 18-year-old accuser was visibly emotional on the stand, wiping tears from her eyes as she testified.

She explained meeting Ortiz for the first time in 2013 when she ran away from home and the former officer responded to the call. The teen says she later went on three different ride-alongs in Ortiz’s patrol car when she was 16.

“I didn’t know any better back then,” the teen said. “Back then I didn’t know myself.”

On the second and third ride-along, the teen says Ortiz took her back to his home where she performed oral sex on him and they had intercourse.

“I was scared that I would get in trouble and that they would look at me different if I was to tell them that stuff,” the teen described when asked why she didn’t initially tell her parents about the incidents.

The accuser’s mother also testified Thursday morning and described confronting her daughter after learning what happened.

“I had her look me in the face and said ‘please tell me what happened. Did it really happen?’ And she looked at me and she, I could tell she started getting upset.”

In an interview with detectives, Ortiz did admit to driving the girl around town to calm her down and talk about her issues. He also admitted taking her to his house to let her use the bathroom but denied any sexual activity.

Ortiz’s defense attorney pointed out an inconsistency in the accuser’s story, saying she originally told police Ortiz has a distinct tattoo on his arm but he does not.

Attorneys say there’s also no DNA evidence linking Ortiz to the accuser.