photo by: Chris Conde/Journal-World

Timothy Glen Martins testified on his own behalf during a jury trial on May 4, 2022. Martins is charged with multiple counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child.

A Douglas County jury on Thursday found a Lawrence man guilty of four counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child and one count of indecent liberties with a child.

The jury began deliberating earlier Thursday in the case of Timothy Glen Martins, 47, who was accused of multiple sex crimes against teenagers that involved naked “cuddling.”

The case went to the jury, which deliberated for a little over three hours, after the prosecution and defense delivered closing arguments Thursday morning after the two-day trial.

Martins, a former Douglas County employee who worked as an IT specialist and also as a former Shawnee County corrections officer, was charged with the child sex crimes for incidents that occurred with two children in his care.

In closing arguments, Deputy District Attorney Joshua Seiden said that Martins sought to blame the children for his actions. Seiden said that in his testimony Martins didn’t deny that he touched the younger woman inappropriately when she was underage but claimed that she had invited him to do it.

“It is a place (Martins’ house) where sexual abuse was normalized for years,” Seiden said.

photo by: Chris Conde/Journal-World

Michael Clarke, right, gives closing arguments in a jury trial for Timothy Glen Martins, seated at left, on Thursday, May 5, 2022, in Douglas County District Court.

The two women, both of whom were teens at the time, said they didn’t realize for years that what Martins did to them was a crime and only recently have been able to process what happened to them, Seiden said. The defense wants to blame the victims because they didn’t report Martins right away, Seiden said, but when the younger one did tell Martins’ wife, the wife told her to lie about it to police, as the jury heard Wednesday.

“It wasn’t just normal. It was covered up,” Seiden said.

Martins’ defense attorney, Michael Clarke, characterized Martins’ actions as not “normalized” but instead as isolated incidents. He said that cuddling wasn’t against the law and that what occurred between Martins and the teens became inappropriate on only two occasions.

“Tim Martins is responsible for what he did, but he shouldn’t be convicted for crimes that he didn’t do,” Clarke told the jury.

Clarke said that the incidents the women testified to were accidental and not sexual in nature. Noting that the older woman testified that Martins got an erection while they were cuddling, Clarke said erections could occur without warning and that Martins didn’t escalate the situation after it happened.

“If it was an intentional sexual assault, there would have been more to it,” Clarke said.

photo by: Chris Conde/Journal-World

Deputy District Attorney Joshua Seiden delivers closing arguments during a jury trial for Timothy Glen Martins on Thursday, May 5, 2022.

The older woman testified that after the incident she and Martins had a good relationship, Clarke said, adding that the teens were not isolated on a farm away from the world but had cellphones, cars and friends.

“If this house was such a horror shop, somebody along the line would have noticed,” Clarke said.

Seiden said that the testimony of the younger woman, who testified Wednesday that Martins touched her genitals and made inappropriate comments to her, painted a different picture — one of a constant battle with Martins. While the children were not isolated, both were afraid to talk about abuse because it would destroy the household; additionally, they were raised to see naked cuddling as normal.

“There is no statute for cuddling, but there is one for indecent liberties with a child,” Seiden said.

After the verdict was read, Seiden asked Judge Gunnar Sundby to revoke Martins’ $60,000 bond. He said that Martins was a flight risk because he faces life in prison for count two, which is aggravated indecent liberties with a child under the age of 14.

In addition, Seiden said that Martins had changed his residency at the start of the trial and was allegedly stockpiling ammunition. There was also testimony during the trial that Martins might be suicidal, Seiden said.

Sundby refused Seiden’s request and said that Martins had not shown signs that he would not appear at his sentencing. Martins is scheduled to be sentenced on June 23 at 4 p.m.