Polygraph Admitted, Defendant Acquitted, According to Dr. Louis Rovner

    LOS ANGELES, Sept. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- The following release is being
 issued by ESS, Inc.: A polygraph test was admitted into evidence at a
 criminal trial in Ohio last week, the first time this has happened in more
 than thirty years. As a result, an innocent man regained his freedom and
 his reputation. The main witness for the defense was Dr. Louis Rovner of
 Los Angeles, California, a renowned scientist and polygraph expert.
     The case of Ohio vs. Sahil Sharma had been hotly contested for more
 than a year. Mr. Sharma was charged with Sexual Battery, and found himself
 in the proverbial he said-she said situation. Two 20-somethings met at a
 wedding rehearsal dinner, went out drinking, and ended up in the same hotel
 room. The next morning, the young lady claimed that she had too much to
 drink, fell asleep, and was taken advantage of by Mr. Sharma. Mr. Sharma
 said that she was wide awake and that having sex was actually her idea.
 Since both parties admitted that sex had occurred, and since there was no
 physical evidence of force, a court had to decide whether the "victim" was
 telling the truth, or whether Mr. Sharma was being unjustly accused of a
 serious crime.
     Mr. Sharma's defense attorney, Kirk Migdal, sought out the services of
 Dr. Rovner, who is widely acknowledged as one of the best polygraph
 examiners in the country. After a polygraph test that lasted more than 2
 1/2 hours, Rovner concluded that Mr. Sharma was telling the truth when he
 said that the woman was wide awake and that the sexual encounter was
 consensual.
     Judge Judy Hunter held a special pre-trial hearing in order to
 determine whether polygraph testing, as it is now practiced, is supported
 by scientific research and the scientific community. Upon learning that
 forty years of high quality scientific research establishes polygraph as
 one of the most accurate forms of scientific evidence, the judge overruled
 the prosecution's objections and, contrary to Ohio state law, decided to
 admit the polygraph test at trial. An Ohio appellate court refused to
 overturn Judge Hunter's ruling.
     Rovner returned to Ohio for the trial and testified in open court,
 examined first by the defense, and cross-examined aggressively by the
 prosecutor. During the reading of the verdict, Dr. Rovner's testimony was
 cited as one of the primary pieces of evidence that led to the finding of
 Not Guilty.
 
 

SOURCE ESS, Inc.