California Sex Crimes Prosecutor Fired After Rape Charge
A California sex crimes prosecutor accused of raping a colleague has been fired.
Michael Gressett, who worked for the Contra Costa County, Calif., district attorney’s office, faces an Aug. 17 preliminary hearing on 12 felony charges, including rape and sodomy, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. He was arrested last October for the May incident, and had been on paid leave.
Gressett’s employment lawyer, Alison Berry Wilkinson, says she is appealing the firing in an arbitration proceeding. “I think they should have waited, because there are so many problems with the underlying evidence” of the rape, Wilkinson told the Chronicle.
Gressett’s accuser told police she wanted to have sex, but objected the type of sex he wanted, according to the Chronicle account. She alleged that Gressett handcuffed her and held a gun to her head while he raped her.
Gressett claims the sex was consensual, and the gun and handcuffs were used in a playful way, the story says.
