Jury trial begins for former state trooper charged with sexual abuse and kidnapping
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
A jury trial began Wednesday for a former state trooper charged with sexual assault and kidnapping.
Jeffery Durbin's trial is expected to last two-to-three days at the Boone County Courthouse.
The 75-person jury pool swore in for selection at 9:27 a.m. and the 12 selected jurors swore in for opening statements at 4:18 p.m.
"Sometimes jury selection takes longer in this type of case," Boone County Prosecuting Attorney Roger Johnson said.
Deciding upon suitable jurors was a bit of a longer process, as the nature of the case involves detailing sexual assault which can be a sensitive topic for some people. Witnesses will also include local law enforcement officers who may be known by people in the community. Some members of the jury pool were struck for those reasons.
Durbin, 32, of Madison, Missouri, is accused of sexually assaulting a woman during a law enforcement training session in a Columbia hotel two years ago.
He was booked into the Boone County Jail on April 5, 2023, and posted a $5,000 bond.
According to court documents, Durbin met the victim on March 23, 2023, at the Hampton Inn and Suites in the 1200 block of Fellows Place in Columbia. Once they were inside the hotel room, Durbin allegedly made unwanted sexual advances toward the victim, including kissing her and placing his hands under her shirt.
According to court documents, the woman told police that she told him repeatedly to stop and was cornered by Durbin as she tried to leave the hotel room. She said she did manage to exit the room once, but was forced back inside and continued to be sexually assaulted.
According to court documents, after continually stating that she wanted to leave, Durbin allegedly replied “fine,” before pulling his hand back and asking her to stay. She left and returned to her hotel room.
When the Columbia Police Department reviewed video footage from the Hampton Inn and Suites, investigators saw the victim enter Durbin's room, according to a probable cause statement. She is later seen trying to exit the room before suddenly getting pulled back in an "unnatural forward motion," the statement says. Durbin could also be seen leaning out of the hotel room door with no shirt on as the victim ran away, police allege.
Durbin was placed on special leave without pay in 2023 following the news of these allegations.
He is facing a felony and a misdemeanor charge before 13th Circuit Court Judge Joshua Devine. He has pleaded not guilty to both counts. If found guilty, Durbin could spend up to 10 years in prison.
Durbin is represented by attorneys Scott Rosenblum and Isaac Dodd of Rosenblum Schwartz Fry & Johnson.
The jury first heard opening statements from Assistant Prosecutor Risa Perkins, who is representing the state with Assistant Prosecutor Chad Moen. Perkins said the victim who was allegedly assaulted should have been safe the night that she decided to visit Durbin's room to study training material.
In defense's opening statements, Rosenblum said that a man and woman jokingly practicing sobriety tests while intoxicated turned into flirting. He claims Durbin began playing a game of "footsies" with the alleged victim and that led to her and the defendant consensually kissing.
Rosenblum added that the alleged victim drank 11-12 beers prior to the incident occurring that night. The victim will be the first to take the stand Thursday.
