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Steven Abreu, 31, was found guilty by a Wicomico County jury following a five-day trial where harrowing testimony from at least one victim revealed how he abused his position of power.
The crimes occurred while Abreu was on duty in October 2022, just days after he began patrolling on his own, according to the sheriff's office.
Sheriff Michael Lewis described the crimes as “shocking and distressing” in a statement, commending investigators for their swift and thorough response.
“I couldn’t be any prouder of the swift action taken by command staff personnel, patrol personnel, and by criminal investigators in the arrest of Abreu,” Lewis said.
"Despite a full pre-employment psychological examination, 26 weeks of entry training at the Eastern Shore Criminal Justice Academy, 10 weeks of mandatory field training, and with no prior inclination or indication that would have alerted background investigators or detectives to Abreu’s predatory nature, he was released to patrol on his own.
A thorough investigation by the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office revealed that within days, Abreu was stalking his victims.
“After being briefed by command personnel on the allegations and evidence in this case, I authorized and ordered the immediate termination of Abreu by our office.”
Abreu’s crimes included first-degree rape, multiple counts of second-degree rape, third- and fourth-degree sexual offenses, false imprisonment, unlawful sexual conduct by a law enforcement officer, and misconduct in office.
Wicomico County Circuit Court Judge S. James Sarbanes remanded Abreu into custody and ordered a pre-sentence investigation (PSI) following the conviction.
Sentencing is expected to be scheduled within 60 to 90 days.
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