Rape and forcible sodomy charges dropped in former WDBJ7 reporter's case

ROANOKE (WSLS 10) - Charges of rape and sodomy against former reporter Orlando Salinas were dismissed in Montgomery County Circuit Court.

Salinas, 55, of Christiansburg, had been charged with the rape and sodomy of a 64-year-old acquaintance.

On Wednesday, Salinas said, "To my wife, to my children, to my brothers and sisters, to my nieces and nephews, I'm sorry. As I've said before, sometimes it's not enough to say you're sorry. When things are, you need to ask for forgiveness and that's what I'm doing," said Salinas on Wednesday

"I'm just glad this ordeal has ended for this man and he's quite an interesting character. The way he's sat in jail for all these months and is positive as he's come out and I just can't wait to see what the future holds in his general life," said Deborah Caldwell Bono, Salinas' attorney.

Montgomery County Commonwealth's Attorney Mary Pettitt stated:

Sexual activity happened.  Salinas admitted that.  The issue was consent.  This is not a question of believing the victim's account but a question of what we can prove beyond a reasonable doubt.  We reviewed information provided by the defense last Thursday.  We considered our victim's numerous physical challenges - hip and back pain requiring use of a walker, hearing loss, and anxiety over the trial – which necessitate use of medications which affect her memory.  We concluded we could not prove our case and promptly moved to release Salinas from custody.

Salinas had been held in jail since July 27th and was released on Friday, December 2.

If new evidence become available, Pettitt said they will consider reopening the case.