Norfolk officer charged with sex crime appears in court

NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — The Norfolk police officer charged with a sex crime earlier this month appeared in court briefly Thursday morning for an arraignment hearing.

Herman Martin, 44, is facing a single count of forcible sodomy. He was arrested on Oct. 9 after a woman reported to police that he'd forced her to engage in sex acts against her will.

Martin worked security at a motel on North Military Highway in Norfolk.

According to court documents, the victim, a sex worker, alleged that Martin scheduled a meeting with her in a room at the motel. She was not expecting a knock on the door from a uniformed officer, or what happened next.

When he entered the room, she said, he told her he would arrest her if she didn't do what he wanted.

The criminal complaint in the case states that after he left, the victim contacted her handlers and told them what happened.

She then made a recording and stated in it that he had threatened to take her to jail.

The victim was able to identify Martin to other officers and provided his phone number.

According to the complaint, Martin told investigators he'd entered the woman's room and spoken with her for 30 to 45 minutes.

A preliminary hearing was set for Dec. 3.