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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A former Albuquerque police officer charged with kneeing a University of New Mexico law student in the groin during a traffic stop pleaded no contest to a lesser offense as part of a plea agreement struck Tuesday.

Pablo Padilla, who retired prior to being disciplined for the incident, was found guilty by 2nd Judicial District Judge Briana Zamora and sentenced to 364 days of unsupervised probation and 24 hours of community service for a misdemeanor aggravated battery conviction, according to court records.

Padilla had been facing felony aggravated battery causing great bodily harm and tampering with evidence charges.

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“The victim was in agreement with the plea,” said Henry Valdez, the special prosecutor appointed to try the case. He “really wanted the case behind him and to get on with the rest of his life.”

Padilla pulled over Jeremy Martin, the law student, in April 2014 on suspicion of drunken driving near the Nob Hill area.

Martin didn’t follow several of Padilla’s commands to remain seated on the curb during the investigation. While trying to take Martin into custody, Padilla kneed him in the groin.

At one point, Padilla also snatched a cellphone from one of Martin’s passengers and deleted footage of the encounter.

Martin, after spending a night in jail on a drunken driving charge, underwent emergency surgery and one of his testicles was removed.

Valdez said he was satisfied with the outcome of the case.

“There were evidentially issues. What exactly was (Padilla’s) intent when the knee strike was used?” Valdez said. “That was going to be what the whole trial was about.”

Erlinda Johnson, Padilla’s attorney, couldn’t be reached for comment Tuesday.

District Attorney Kari Brandenburg’s office originally brought charges against Padilla. Valdez, the director of the Administrative Office of the District Attorneys, was later tapped to lead the prosecution to avoid any perceived conflict of interest in the case because Brandenburg’s office works closely with Albuquerque police.

Phil Sisneros, a spokesman for Brandenburg, said the office hasn’t been involved in the case since it was assigned to another prosecutor and had no comment on the resolution.

The drunken driving charge against Martin was ultimately dismissed. Martin was awarded $245,000 as part of a settlement to a civil suit he brought against the city of Albuquerque in connection with the case.

Padilla retired from Albuquerque police shortly before his scheduled disciplinary hearing. His law enforcement certification was revoked by a state board that oversees police officers’ certifications, and he at one point appealed the revocation.

But Valdez said Tuesday that Padilla’s appeal has been dismissed, which means he won’t be allowed to work as a police officer in the state.

Cedric Greer, another former Albuquerque officer, received a nearly identical sentence last week for a misdemeanor aggravated battery conviction in Metropolitan Court. Greer was charged with beating up an intoxicated man while he was on-duty and responding to a call for service at an Albuquerque hotel.