A Norton man acquitted earlier this year on gross sexual imposition charges involving a minor is suing the city, the Norton Police Department and police officers who investigated the case. A prosecutor from Medina County assigned to the trial is also named in the Nov. 21 lawsuit, as is Norton Mayor Mike Zita.

Norton resident Aaron Burnette, a former University of Akron police officer and Norton schools employee, was found not guilty April 25 by a jury on two gross sexual imposition charges involving a girl under age 13.

The lawsuit alleges that a detective in the police department "fabricated and facilitated the blatantly false claims that Burnette had engaged in inappropriate conduct with the minor girls at issue."

The civil case has been assigned to Summit County Common Pleas Judge Alison Breaux.

During the April trial in which a jury found Burnette not guilty of the charges, a girl denied previous statements she had made that he had touched her inappropriately.

The Friday before the trial began, the girl had told the prosecutor the accusations against Burnette were untrue, the lawsuit states. During her testimony, she repeatedly denied the accusations.

Paul Cristallo, Burnette's lawyer in the lawsuit, said in a recent phone interview that the allegations and trial had a devastating effect on Burnette and his family.

"It's literally broken him," Cristallo said.

Norton Law Director Justin Markey said the city had no immediate comment on the case, but would respond to the...

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