Security Guard Acquitted in Rape of Transient

A Long Beach jury deliberated less than 90 minutes Wednesday before acquitting a security guard of raping a homeless woman in the basement of a local ministry.

Calvin Farrell, 35, was found not guilty after a monthlong trial in which he was accused of luring a 33-year-old woman into a room at the Christian Outreach Appeal to “talk Bible.” He has been jailed on a $10,000 bond since Nov. 14.

Deputy Public Defender Jerry Berger argued that the woman consented to having sex, then conspired to “set up” Farrell, whose security job made him unpopular among the homeless. Deputy Dist. Atty. Carol Rose, who spoke with the jurors afterward, said the panel did not believe the witnesses on either side--most of whom were homeless.

“It is very difficult for jurors to separate the way of life of the witnesses from their testimony,” she said. “I guess the homeless are just not considered credible.”