Mail Tribune News - Ex-cop admits attempts to suck women�s toes

Mail Tribune (Medford, OR — Wayback)

2000-12-10

Document text

Ex-cop admits attempts to suck women�s toes By David Preszler Calling his actions "sadly dishonorable," a former Central Point officer accused of trying to suck two women�s toes without their consent pleaded guilty to three misdemeanors on Friday. "I stand before you today as a humiliated individual," Ken Marksbury told the court before he was sentenced to two years of probation. He also said he was "truly sorry and remorseful." Marksbury, 30, pleaded guilty to two counts of harassment for his attempts to suck the women�s toes and one count of failing to perform the duties of a driver after striking a stop sign with his car while fleeing. The bizarre Memorial Day incident occurred while Marksbury was off-duty. He resigned from the Central Point Police Department after the accusations surfaced. He confronted a female bartender in a restroom and demanded to suck her toes. When she resisted, he went across the street and accosted the lone employee of a drive-up coffee stand, also attempting to suck her toes. In the plea, he admitted drinking before the incident and said has already gone through a voluntary treatment program. "I�m successfully overcoming my alcohol problem," he told the court. In addition to the probation, Marksbury was ordered to pay a fine of $250 to each of the victims and undergo an alcohol treatment evaluation and counseling as needed. His driver�s license was suspended for 90 days starting today, and he was ordered to perform 40 hours community service and pay for the damaged stop sign. After the sentencing, Marksbury said he wanted to put the whole thing behind him and get back to building a life with his "beautiful family." He is married and has two children. "I just really want to get on with my life," he said. "It caused me quite enough shame to last a lifetime." Jackson County Judge Dan Harris, who handed down the sentence, reminded Marksbury that being a police officer is a community trust, a trust he broke. "You are expected to live your life in an exemplary way," Harris told Marksbury. "You have obviously violated that trust and brought dishonor on yourself, your family and those who work with you." Harris said counselors who worked with Marksbury since the incident called him a man of "strong character" who is attempting to deal with his problem. He urged the former officer to continue on that path. "I think you�ve shown a desire to go forward and not let this destroy your life," he said. Charles Kochlas, the attorney who represented Marksbury, told the court the incident was "a few moments of insanity in an otherwise exemplary life."   Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds |  Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive  | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA