A former stable hand convicted of having sexual contact with a horse at Arlington Park has won a new trial after an appeals court found police shouldn’t have arrested him for the alleged 2010 assault.

Esbin Cal-Orozco, now 32, was seen riding a bicycle away from a barn at Arlington Heights racetrack about 1 a.m. on the night of the alleged assault. An Arlington Heights police officer who interviewed Cal-Orozco later that day found him “very evasive” but released him after he denied having sexual contact with the horse. But he was arrested about three days later even though no new evidence had emerged, the appeals court found.

At the police station, Cal-Orozco confessed during a roughly 30-minute interview, records show.

Cal-Orozco, who spent about five months in jail, was convicted in a 2011 and sentenced to two years of probation and sex offender counseling.

The appeals court in a ruling on Monday agreed that authorities, even with “minimal” evidence, had proven a crime took place but that Arlington Heights police lacked probable cause to arrest Cal-Orozco.

The First District appellate panel therefore quashed the arrest and suppressed Cal-Orozco’s confession, but said the horse groomer could be tried again.

It was unclear this afternoon whether that would happen

_________________
favrefan said:"Chris Coghlan isn't gonna pay your rent, Jimmy."

well that's a horse of a different color

_________________
O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

If you don't have probable cause, it just makes horse sense not to file charges.

_________________
"All crowds boycotting football games shouldn't care who sings or takes a knee because they aren't watching." - Nas

I guess the facts didn't stick together like g(oo)lue.

_________________
favrefan said:"Chris Coghlan isn't gonna pay your rent, Jimmy."

I hope this doesn't shine a bad light on all the hard working stable grooms. One bad road apple doesn't spoil the whole bunch.

_________________
O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.