Former jailer cleared of charges in Northampton

By Linda Cicoira

A Northampton Circuit Court Jury deliberated for about an hour on Wednesday, following a three-day trial, before acquitting a former Eastern Shore Regional Jail correctional officer of abduction and sex offenses.

Twenty-nine-year-old Hector Luis Rosa Jr., of Seaside Road in Machipongo, was found innocent of the March 22, 2024, felony allegations of abduction with intent to defile and object sexual penetration by force, and a misdemeanor count of sexual battery.

Rosa was placed on administrative leave from the jail, a job he had held since 2018, on April 5, 2024, after the allegations were made and the State Police first began investigating the case. He was relieved of his duties at the jail when he was indicted on July 8, 2024. Rosa was arrested on July 9, 2024, and was freed on a secured $3,500 bond later that day.

Sheriff David Doughty declined to comment regarding the possibility of Rosa returning to work for the jail, citing that it would be a personnel matter. The allegations were not connected to Rosa’s job with the Northampton County Sheriff’s Office.

Commonwealth’s Attorney Jack Thornton called five witnesses for the prosecution. Defense lawyers Andre Wiggins and Isabel Kaldenbach offered 10.