Eddie Wayne Moore Sentenced to 24 years for Domestic Assault

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FREDERICK – This afternoon, Frederick County Circuit Court Judge G. Edward Dwyer Jr. sentenced Eddie Wayne Moore Jr., age 42, of Thurmont, MD to an aggregate sentence of 24 years in the Division of Correction to serve on three counts of 2nd Degree Assault following a guilty verdict returned by a Frederick County jury in September.

In response to today’s sentence, State’s Attorney Charlie Smith commented, “This afternoon, Judge Dwyer agreed with the State’s sentencing recommendation and handed down a sentence that reflects the severity of repeated domestic abuse. My office will continue to seek sentences that hold abusers accountable for their actions and combat the community issue of domestic violence.”

On February 23, 2019 at 9:26 am, Thurmont Police Officer Nicole Fair responded to an apartment in the 100 block of Boundary Avenue for the report of a domestic assault in progress. Upon arrival on the scene, Officer Fair determined that the defendant, Eddie Moore had fled the area. Officer Fair located the victim, the defendant’s wife, in a nearby neighbor’s apartment. The Officer observed multiple injuries on the victim including swollen eyes, a cut on the back of the head, blood around the mouth, nose and face, as well as scratches to her chest.

The victim stated that the defendant returned home from on the evening of February 22nd. She stated that Moore became irate when he learned that she had wrecked their vehicle while he was incarcerated. At one point, a co-worker of the victim stopped by the apartment to drop off food and medicine.  The Defendant threatened that if the Victim opened the door for her co-worker that he would kill her. The Victim assured her co-worker that she was fine, and the co-worker left. The following morning, the situation escalated further when Moore struck the victim multiple times and strangled her with a crutch. The victim was successfully able to flee the residence and find help at a neighbor’s apartment. The victim was transported to Frederick Memorial Hospital by first responders.

The State’s Attorney’s Office encourages anyone experiencing domestic violence to report the crime to law enforcement, and to seek additional assistance from Heartly House, (301) 662-8800. Heartly House provides 24 hour/day help for victims and survivors of intimate partner violence, sexual assault, and child abuse.

The case was investigated by Thurmont Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant State’s Attorney Brett Engler.

Eddie Wayne Moore Jr.

Frederick Pediatrician Found Guilty of 2nd Degree Assault and 4th Degree Sex Offense

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FREDERICK – This afternoon, Frederick Circuit Court Judge William R. Nicklas Jr. rendered a verdict in the trial of Dr. Ernesto Cesar Torres. Nicklas found Torres Not Guilty of 2nd degree rape, Guilty of 2nd degree assault, and Guilty of 4th degree sex offense. Sentencing will be held before Judge Nicklas on December 19th.

State’s Attorney Charlie Smith reacted, “I want to first thank the victim for her bravery in coming forward and testifying, her parents for their patience in the process, and the prosecution team for their dedication to this case and our community.”

Smith added, “I have to respectfully disagree with this verdict.  The judge just got this one wrong.  There is no way that someone in a position of trust, who uses that position to violate and molest their patient, did not force themselves upon them. It was force of a different kind, but force nonetheless.”

The trial started on Tuesday following the defendant waiving his right to a jury trial. In a bench trial, the Judge listens to arguments and renders a verdict that includes the finding of facts.

On April 26th, 2019, the 18-year old female victim, who was a lifelong patient of Dr. Torres, went to his office on Thomas Johnson Drive for a follow-up appointment to discuss her anxiety medication. According to the testimony of Torres’ office staff, these types of appointments, referred to as “multiple problem appointments”, were held in the late morning and late afternoon due to their generally longer duration. The victim arrived for her appointment around 4pm that Friday afternoon. A nurse took her back to an examination room to take her vitals. Approximately 10-15 minutes later, Dr. Torres entered the room. Torres checked the victim’s eyes and ears, asked about anxiety, and tested her joints. During the examination, the victim began to experience symptoms of anxiety. Torres had the victim lay down on the exam table, and started to examine her abdominal region, at which point his hand went into the victim’s pants for several minutes. It was during this time that Torres’ hand touched the victim’s vagina. After the victim cried and had a runny nose, Torres grabbed a tissue for the victim and the sexual assault ended. The victim and Torres then spoke for a length of time about various topics, and he gave her a hug. The office staff left the building around 4:30pm that day. Dr. Torres was left alone with the victim for a significant period of time. He eventually walked her out and she drove home. She immediately went to her room to take a shower. The following day, she reported the incident to her mother. On Sunday April 28th, the victim and her mother decided to tell her dad. At that point, they went to the Frederick Police Department to file a report and make a written statement. The initial report was taken by Officer Ashley Antczak and forwarded to CID. Shortly thereafter, Officer Antczak responded to the victim’s residence to recover the pants she was wearing the day of the incident. Detectives Joe Palkovic and Sean McKinney visited Dr. Torres on Monday April 29th to confirm that the victim was his patient and that she has an appointment with him Friday April 26th. Torres confirmed that he saw the victim that day. The detectives asked Torres if he would provide a DNA swab. He agreed, and detectives left briefly to gather the necessary materials from the police department. Upon their return, Dr. Torres admitted in an audio-recorded interview that he probably touched the patient’s vagina.

Detectives recommended charges to the States Attorney’s Office, which were then presented to the Frederick Grand Jury on May 3, 2019. The Grand Jury found there was sufficient evidence to charge Dr. Ernesto Torres with 2nd Degree Rape, 2nd Degree Assault, and 4th Degree Sex Offense.