Curtis Arganbright, the former Westminster police officer who pleaded guilty to abuse of power and unlawful sexual conduct — both misdemeanors — was sentenced to 90 days in jail and four years of probation Thursday.

Arganbright had pleaded guilty to the lesser charges in early October. He originally faced felony sexual assault charges.

At a nearly two-hour sentencing hearing, attorneys painted conflicting images of Arganbright and the woman who accused him of raping her on a dark street in Broomfield while he was transporting her to her mother’s house.

District Judge Michael Goodbee said as he listened to arguments he thought about the facts that were not disputed.

“On one hand I have the portrayal of the victim in this case as a clever, manipulative liar,” he said. “On the other hand, a portrayal of a vulnerable person.”

Arganbright was taken into custody after the hearing after his attorney’s request to wait a week to get his work in order, was denied.

The former officer was arrested Aug. 28, 2017 for a crime that occurred Aug. 24 near West 144th Avenue and Zuni Street. The Broomfield Enterprise does not name victims of sexual assault.

The then 36-year-old woman said she had been accused of stealing items from St. Anthony Hospital during a stay in an emergency room that began Aug. 23, 2017. According to court documents, she admitted herself to the emergency room for alcoholism.

Arganbright attorney Doug Jewell told the story of a husband, father and long-time police officer with no prior record and who “took an opportunity” when it was presented by the woman via her “actions and by her words.”

“He was not some kind of predator with some kind of plan who used force,” Jewell said.

Jewell tried to introduce texts from the woman that could have shown her to be “aggressive” with sexual behavior and her “forwardness with different men.” He also pointed to past thefts, drug use and a letter from her ex-husband describing past behaviors.

Jewell said the victim never told police she was afraid for her life or pointed out that Arganbright had a gun. He said that inconsistencies in the case could be due to her ability to manipulate and “weave stories” or may have been “disorganized memory and reporting” as a result of her alcohol use.

He pointed out that no semen was found on either individual’s clothing or in the SUV.

While there are disagreements on facts of the case and surrounding the sexual act, there is no question on who was driving, and who had the authority to take control of the situation when a passenger’s conduct was not acceptable, Goodbee said.

“I have tremendous respect for the work that officers do,” he said. “It’s job I couldn’t do. It’s an extraordinarily difficult job, but the police have to obey the law when they’re upholding the law.”

An argument raised by the defense, that people in the throes of alcoholism and addiction are not always truthful, was not new to Goodbee.

“They lie for a variety of reasons, but that doesn’t mean they lie about everything,” he said. “In this instance we really don’t have to argue too much about whether there were lies offered by her about unlawful sexual contact because Mr. Arganbrightsays that’s what he did.”

When officers abuse or misuse citizens, there is “an erosion” in the integrity of law enforcement work that makes the work “good cops” do even more difficult, Goodbee said. While the victim may have been an addict and vulnerable, there still was a higher standard for the defendant by his virtue of accepting the role of police officer.

Arganbright, whose wife was the only person sitting behind the defense table, offered a short statement. The victim’s mother was there to comment on behalf of her daughter who she said was too distraught to attend.

“I made a poor and irreversible decision that has negatively affected (the victim), law enforcement, the community and my wife and family,” Arganbright said. “I accept responsibility for my actions and my decisions.”

He went on to say he is in therapy and is dedicated to making amends for the harm he has caused. Arganbright will be required to register as a sex offender.

If character can be described as what someone does when no one is looking, Goodbee told Arganbright, “that this happened, on that dark road, is certainly reflective of your character.”

The victim’s mother, who spoke before Arganbright and his defense, asked that he receive punishment and therapy to treat “this whole person who is very sick.”

“Understand, please, this person has given my family and my daughter a life sentence,” she told Goodbee.

Her daughter owns her mistakes, she said, including a substance-abuse charge for which she has since served a month in jail for a DUI charge. The sexual contact between Arganbright and her daughter was “not consensual.”

She said the 10 minutes it takes to get from St. Anthony Hospital instead took 30 minutes the night she waited on her porch for the officer to drive her daughter home. His last words to his daughter, she said, were “don’t you dare tell anybody about this.”

The next day she, told her mother what happened and showed her bloody knees, belt buckle marks on her back and handcuff marks.

There was skin on the cuffs for a reason, Jewell said, as she wanted Arganbright to use them. Based on comments from at least one other man, he said, it was not an unusual request.

Based on court-ordered assessments, Arganbright is unlikely to commit another crime, Jewell said, and is likely to do well with probation. His defense team said Arganbright has been through several jobs because of firings that occur when news of the crime is reported, and that his wife has since had to get a job.

“I feel sorry for his family, for his wife. I’m sensitive to how hurt his children are,” the victim’s mother said. “I’m sorry for the police officers who work diligently and sacrifice to provide safety to bear the betrayal of one of their own.”

Arganbright had been a patrol officer with Westminster since December 2013. Previously, he had worked with Federal Heights Police Department.

Westminster police spokeswoman Cheri Spottke said the department launched an investigation and have not identified any more accusations of wrongdoing by Arganbright.

“A review of our technology, policies, and procedures were identified as sound and appropriate. In fact, these helped confirm information in the original complaint,” she said. “Mr. Arganbright acted completely outside current police practices and were, in fact, criminal.”

Jennifer Rios: 303-473-1361, riosj@broomfieldenterprise.com or Twitter.com/Jennifer_Rios