A former Calcasieu Parish deputy was acquitted on Thursday of rape charges by a jury in the 36th Judicial District Court in Beauregard Parish.

Robert Shortridge was found not guilty by jurors after a four-day trial that ended with jurors deliberating for less than one hour. The trial began on Monday.

Shortridge had been charged with third-degree rape and faced a maximum 25 years in jail if convicted.

After the trial, defense attorney Carla Sigler said she appreciated the jurors agreeing that her client had been wrongly accused.

The case was prosecuted by the Beauregard Parish District Attorney’s Office, and District Attorney James Lestage said that while his office was disappointed with the verdict, he respected the justice system and the jury’s decision.

Shortridge had been a deputy with the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office for 19 years and was working as a detective at the South Lake Charles Enforcement Center when he was arrested in Beauregard Parish on the rape charges in July 2018. He was fired the same day.