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Testimony at former cop's sex assault trial

The trial against former Wilkes-Barre police officer Robert Collins is underway. It's the first trial held at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Luzerne County.

WILKES-BARRE TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Robert Collins is accused of abusing his power as a police officer and forcing women to perform sex acts.

This was the first day of testimony at this trial inside the arena on the floor. There is a temporary courtroom set up where spectators are used to seeing the ice. The trial is being held at the arena to provide social distancing at a trial held during this pandemic.

There is a judge's bench up on risers, tables for the prosecution and the defense, along with juror chairs spread out 6 feet apart.

There are three screens as well as the lowered arena big screen to be used during testimony.

Former Wilkes-Barre Police Officer Robert Collins Was dropped off at a back entrance of the Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre Township for trial on Tuesday morning.

Collins is accused of abusing his position as a police officer to force seven women to perform sex acts.

The jurors heard testimony from some of the alleged victims. The women said Collins took them to dark, secluded locations, including the area of the former Murray Complex, near dumpsters at the former Volunteers of America Thrift Store, and behind the Sherman Hills apartment complex.

The women said Collins took them to these locations after stopping them while he was in uniform and in a police car. Collins had them in positions where they either faced an arrest or citation unless they did something for Collins. Once they performed a sex act, Collins would tell them not to tell anyone and leave them there.

Collins' defense attorney Paul Walker urged the jury to pay attention to the details of the testimony, and through cross-examination, demonstrated that some of the women had trouble remembering dates or times of day of the alleged encounters.

Jurors also heard from the investigators in the case as well as the Wilkes-Barre police chief.

One of the alleged victim's testimony was read from a transcript of a preliminary hearing. That witness died in December of last year, but her story was still heard by the jury.

RELATED: Trial of former Wilkes-Barre cop on sex assault charges begins

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