WAUKESHA, Wis. -- Former Green Bay Packers tight end Mark
Chmura was acquitted Saturday of sexually assaulting a former baby
sitter at a drunken party.
|  | | Mark Chmura, left, hugs one of his attorneys after the verdict of innocent was revealed. |
The jury of seven men and five women deliberated for 2 hours, 15
minutes before finding Chmura innocent on charges of third-degree
sexual assault and child enticement. The charges carried a maximum
penalty of 40 years in prison and $20,000 in fines.
Chmura cried as Waukesha County Circuit Judge Mark Gempeler read
the verdicts. A group of about 50 people waiting outside the
courtroom broke into cheers when Chmura left the courtroom.
"We're on top of the world," defense attorney Gerald Boyle said. "He was despised over night. Now he has the people back."
Chmura made a brief statement, his wife Lynda at his side,
thanking the jurors. He planned a news conference Sunday afternoon.
"I'd like to thank the jury for taking in all the evidence, seeing what happened and then rendering their decision," Chmura said.
One juror, a woman, cried as Gempeler read the verdicts. The jury left shortly after the verdicts were read without speaking to reporters.
District Attorney Paul Bucher also left without talking to reporters.
Chmura's accuser, who used to baby-sit for Chmura's two sons,
was not in the courtroom.
The teen-ager accused Chmura of pulling her into a bathroom
during an April 9 post-prom party at his friend Robert Gessert's
home, pulling down her pants and having sex with her without her
consent.
Boyle contended Chmura's accuser was lying and made the story up
because she disliked Chmura. Chmura did not testify.
Another teen at the party, Waukesha Catholic Memorial High
School football player Michael Kleber, testified he warned Chmura's
accuser not to go into the bathroom because Chmura was in there.
Kleber also testified the teen-ager went into the bathroom
willingly, flashing him a smile.
Kleber, an All-State offensive tackle, said he idolized Chmura
and followed him to the bathroom door.
Boyle said Saturday Kleber's testimony turned the case.
"This Kleber boy, what a credit to the younger generation,"
Boyle said.
Chmura's accuser testified she disliked the former NFL star
because he made suggestive remarks to her and had hit on her when
she baby-sat his children, once giving her a $20 tip because she
was cute. She also testified both she and Chmura were drunk at the
party, which Gessert's daughter held after the Waukesha Catholic
Memorial High School prom. A nurse who examined the teen later that
day testified injuries Chmura's accuser suffered were consistent
with sexual assault.
A nurse and a doctor specializing in sexual assault examinations
testified for the defense that the injuries to the teen could have
been caused by something else, such as wet clothes or an ill
fitting bathing suit. The teen had testified she borrowed a swim
suit to go into a hot tub at the party, held by Gessert's daughter.
The nurse also testified she would have expected Chmura to have
similar injuries. An examination the day after the party showed he
had none.
Chmura, a three-time Pro Bowl selection at tight end, joined the
Packers in 1992. He appeared in two straight Super Bowls with Green
Bay, but missed most of the 1999 season with a neck injury. The
team released him in June.
John Drana, Chmura's personal attorney, said Chmura has been
given medical clearance to play again.
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