Trace Christenson

Battle Creek Enquirer

One family hugged and cried and talked of champagne while the other left the courtroom quietly without comment.

In front of them, former Emmett Township police officer Troy Estree wiped away tears and hugged his attorney after a jury acquitted him Wednesday of nine counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct.

Estree, 46, was charged with sexual assaults on a 15-year-old relative between January and August of 2014, but the jury determined the evidence was not presented to convict him.

"I think the jury got it right," defense attorney Josh Blanchard of Greenville said after the verdict. "They listened to the evidence and they took it pretty seriously. They reached the right verdict. Her story just didn't make sense."

Estree still faces a charge of first-degree criminal sexual conduct involving another relative, 33, at a Kalamazoo County hot tub business in July while he was out of jail on bond for the Calhoun County case. The trial in Kalamazoo is scheduled for mid-April. Blanchard said he will seek a reduction in Estree's bond, which was set at $1 million.

The victim in Calhoun County told the jury that she had established a relationship with Estree after a 13-year estrangement but then he repeatedly had anal and oral sex with her.

The Enquirer does not identify the alleged victims of sexual assault.

She told the jury during five hours of testimony last week that the assaults occurred at Estree's home and at Bridge Park and a construction site while she rode with him while he was on duty as a patrol officer.

Prosecutors also brought testimony from a doctor who said both the girl and Estree have herpes and from two other witnesses who said the girl told them about the sexual assaults long before Michigan State Police began an investigation.

Assistant Kalamazoo County Prosecutor Michael Stein, who was appointed as a special prosecutor, also presented text messages and Facebook messages sent between the girl and Estree, which he argued supported the allegations.

Stein declined comment after the verdict and left with the victim and her family. Jurors also left the courthouse without commenting to anyone about their decision.

Blanchard and his co-counsel, Keeley Heath, argued the prosecution was only providing a small number of the thousands of messages and argued jurors should look further for context.

"There was a lot of evidence," Blanchard said. "There was 54,000 pages of discovery and the prosecutor presented a couple hundred text messages from that. We tried to show the jury the complete picture.

"They had sent a note asking about some text messages that the prosecutor had selected to show the jury. They wanted to see all of them and that was the last question that came out before the verdict. They wanted 48 text messages and there were 687 pages of them in that set and they wanted to see the 687 pages and that question (from the jury) came out about 11 and that was the last question they asked."

Blanchard said Estree "was obviously very happy with the verdict. He feels they got it right as well."

Outside the courtroom, Estree's sister Sherri Hegner spoke for the family.

"This was a very big and daunting challenge," she said. "Mr. Estree has waited for 18 months for the community to see what he and his family have known all along. There are still a lot of challenges ahead. Many lives have been impacted here and I pray every day (for the alleged victim) so that family can move forward, but today justice has been served."

Hagner said "that same justice system that he served so many years has finally paid him back in seeing justice through today. He is innocent."

Contact Trace Christenson at 966-0685 or tchrist@battlecreekenquirer.com. Follow him on Twitter: @TSChristenson