A jury acquitted a former South River High School biology teacher Thursday of charges that she had sex with a student.
Meredith Susan Barry Martin, 39, was found
not guilty of five counts of having intercourse while in a position of
authority, five counts of sexual offense by a person in authority, one count of
unnatural or perverted practice and sex abuse of a minor. The jury deliberated
less than two hours at Anne Arundel County Circuit Court before returning its
verdict.
Thomas Morrow, Martin’s attorney, said in
his closing statements to the jury that he knew prosecutors would try to
discredit his client’s credibility. Morrow said the student who made the
allegations lied years ago while under oath in court.
“My job is to try and test a witness’ credibility, recollection and establish
they aren’t telling the truth,” Morrow said. “I was able to establish the
student wasn’t telling the truth.”
The lawyer claimed every witness who
testified on Martin’s behalf said she was a “caring teacher.”
Martin, a Davidsonville resident, was
charged in February 2020 after a student submitted a written statement to the
Anne Arundel County school board claiming they several sexual encounters in the
Davidsonville and Edgewater area.
Martin’s attorney said she drove the
student home was out of compassion because it was a cold day. She also let him
drive her car once to help teach him how to drive.
Morrow said the protection was building a
case to ruin his client’s life and there was never any inappropriate sexual
contact between the two.
Prosecutors Maria Stamidis and Katherine
Smeltzer, both assistant state attorneys, argued in their closing statements
that Martin abused her power as a teacher.
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