Prosecutors at Hoffman's trial said the female officer had lied because Zaliev made denigrating comments about women to Hoffman and that Hoffman remembered many other details that were not in the other officer's report.
"She lied under oath to make an innocent man look guilty," said Howard County Assistant State's Attorney Brian Furlong in his closing arguments Thursday. Zaliev should never have been charged with DUI because Hoffman found him in the backseat of the car, Furlong said.
Hoffman's attorney, Louis M. Leibowitz, said during his closing argument that Hoffman had no reason to intentionally lie and gained no benefit from Zaliev's arrest. Her supervisors had never had problems with her, and she erred because she was involved in many traffic stops, Leibowitz said.
Judge Michael Mason’s Circuit Court jury of 12 members deliberated part of Thursday and the full day Friday. Toward the end of the hearing, the jury asked the judge about more definitions on “beyond a reasonable doubt, preponderance, beyond a reasonable doubt.”
The judge replied the jury had been given all resources available in order to reach a verdict. Just before 6:30, the jury declared “not guilty.”
