Sex assault case against former Stamford therapist dismissed as trial was set to start
A former Stamford therapist accused of sexually assaulting two clients was set to go on trial Tuesday. Instead, a judge dismissed the case after prosecutors said the women would no longer testify.
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A former Stamford therapist accused of sexually assaulting two clients was set to go on trial Tuesday. Instead, a judge dismissed the case after prosecutors said the women would no longer testify.
Alexander Pino, who was charged with five counts of second-degree sexual assault, had mixed emotions after the hearing. Pino said he was happy with the result in court but frustrated it took so long to get there
“I thought I'd be excited and jumping and thrilled, but in reality, I'm very sad,” Pino told News 12.
Stamford police first arrested Pino in November 2017 on allegations he sexually assaulted a client in his office on West Main Street in 2013. Police said a month after the arrest, another client came forward and reported a consensual sexual relationship with Pino while he was her therapist, which led to more charges.
“I was innocent the day they brought those charges against me. I've been innocent for six years,” Pino said.
A jury was picked last week for Pino’s trial at Stamford Superior Court, but Tuesday morning prosecutors told Judge Kevin Randolph they could not move forward with the case. They said one of the women was no longer sure she'd been sexually assaulted by Pino and the other became hesitant to testify after learning the first would not.
“The state continued to try and make a case where there was no case, and at the end, it fell apart,” said attorney Darnell Crosland, who represents Pino. “They had no choice but to move to ‘nolle’ which means don't prosecute anymore. We moved for a dismissal, and it was granted, so now he's fully exonerated, and he can never be tried for these matters again.”
Pino was in private practice at the time of his arrest. He was also a social worker at Greenwich Public Schools, which fired him from the position. State records show he gave up his social worker license in 2018.
“I'm going to try to get my license back and do what I'm passionate about—to try to help people,” Pino told News 12.
