Steven Abreu, 31, was found guilty by a Wicomico County jury after a five-day trial in which at least one victim provided heartbreaking testimony about how he exploited his power.
The crimes took place while Abreu was on duty in October 2022, only days after he began patrolling on his own, according to the sheriff’s office.
Sheriff Michael Lewis described the acts as “shocking and distressing” in a statement, complimenting investigators on their prompt and comprehensive reaction.
“I couldn’t be any prouder of the swift action taken by command staff personnel, patrol personnel, and by criminal investigators in the arrest of Abreu,” Lewis said.
“Despite a full pre-employment psychological examination, 26 weeks of entry training at the Eastern Shore Criminal Justice Academy, 10 weeks of mandatory field training, and with no prior inclination or indication that would have alerted background investigators or detectives to Abreu’s predatory nature, he was released to patrol on his own.
The Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office conducted a comprehensive investigation and discovered that Abreu began stalking his victims within days.
“After being briefed by command personnel on the allegations and evidence in this case, I authorized and ordered the immediate termination of Abreu by our office.”
Abreu’s charges included first-degree rape, several counts of second-degree rape, third- and fourth-degree sexual assaults, false imprisonment, unlawful sexual activity by a law enforcement official, and misconduct in office.
Following Abreu’s conviction, Wicomico County Circuit Court Judge S. James Sarbanes remanded him to detention and ordered a pre-sentence investigation (PSI).
We expect to schedule sentences within 60 to 90 days.