A California sex crimes prosecutor was charged on Friday with twelve counts of sexual crimes. This is one of the most disturbing cases of a sexual assault in recent memory. The fact the accused, Michael Gressett, is a twenty year veteran attorney also puts a different slant on this story. The woman who accused him is also a lawyer. The counts run the realm of sexual abuse and include four counts of forced sodomy, two counts of rape, false imprisonment as well as several other charges. Further, the prosecutors in this case worded their claims in ways that can’t be taken lightly, saying in part the victim was warned of repercussions “which would result in death and great bodily injury” if she reported the rape.

What’s not clear is the timeline, or rather, the extended timeline. This was said to have occurred in May, reported in September and charges filed last week. It’s not uncommon for rape victims to delay reporting the crime, and it’s even more common when the victim knows the accused. And too, at some point, the victim and the prosecutor were romantically involved. Naturally, this case was handed over to the California attorney general’s office due to obvious conflicts. The judge seems to be pretty confident as well, since he’s warned both parties to steer clear of one another. He set Gressett’s bond at one million dollars. Still, his attorney calls this a “creative fantasy” that this woman has “conjured up” and goes on to say the fact she returned to work and didn’t report the crime for several weeks serves as more proof of his client’s innocence. Apparently, there were text messages at some point but are now deleted from Gressett’s cell. There’s also been a search of the home where this assault was supposed to have happened. The findings of that search aren’t being released, but they have acknowledged finding items that would substantiate the victim’s story.

Michael Gressett

I think an ominous sign is his attorney’s reply when asked if Gressett used a handgun and an ice pick the day of the attack, he did deny it but then on to say that it wasn’t used in the way she said it was. I could be living a rather sheltered life, but I’m having a hard time understanding how handguns and ice picks play into a consensual sex act, as Gressett claims. You might also be interested in knowing he has a degree in Psychology, along with his law degree.

In the meantime, the trial is set for early next year and Michael Gressett is relieved of his duties via a paid leave of absence. If he’s convicted of all these charges, he could very well face life in prison. Since he’s responsible for prosecuting many of his potential cell mates, my guess is any jail time will be served in solitary. An interesting twist is during one of his unsuccessful runs for district attorney, he promised to crack down on violent crimes and vowed to allow public access to the district attorney’s files by placing all of the current trials online.