Former Tampa cop acquitted of child sex charges

LARGO — Ernesto Hedges, a former Tampa police officer who was convicted in 2005 of molesting two 9-year-old girls, was found not guilty in a second trial that ended late Wednesday.

"He was glad that this is over," his attorney, Stephen Romine, said after the verdict. "He told everyone that would listen that he was not doing anything to molest these children."

After his 2005 conviction, he was sentenced to a minimum mandatory 25 years in prison, and designated a sexual predator. He spent more than three months in jail.

But later in 2005, armed with evidence presented by Hedges' new attorney, Circuit Judge Linda Allan ruled he should receive a new trial because his lawyers in the first case had not given him an adequate defense.

They did not conduct a thorough examination of the evidence, they made the questionable move of demanding a speedy trial, and one of them offered a disjointed and rambling closing argument that seemed to imply his guilt.

The new trial, which began last week and concluded Wednesday, was a hard-fought affair with many battles over procedure and evidence.

Romine said he was "very pleased with the jury's verdict. They worked very hard in the case. They were very attentive."