FONDA - An Amsterdam man was acquitted of charges of rape and criminal sexual acts in Montgomery County Court on Wednesday.
Joshua Mendez, 25, of 52 Bayard St., was acquitted on charges of third-degree rape and third-degree criminal sexual acts relating to an incident in January.
Mendez was arrested in January along with Jennifer Potter, 23, of the same address. At that time, Mendez was charged with rape and unlawfully dealing with a child. Potter was charged with committing a criminal sexual act and unlawfully dealing with a child.
A minor attending a party at their Bayard Street address was given alcohol and subjected to unwanted sexual advances, authorities said.
In April, Mendez sued Montgomery County Sheriff Michael J. Amato and Montgomery County Jail Administrator Michael Franco, saying the protective custody he was placed in was a violation of his civil rights.
"Sheriff Michael J. Amato and Jail Administrator Michael Franco are using this 'protective custody' to place inmates into 23-hour lock-down for [their] own personal satisfaction, discriminating only against those who have had a sexual offense, past or present," according to Mendez's complaint. "I am being pushed to insanity by being confined into a small area cell for long amounts of time."