Border Patrol Agents Acquitted of Sexual Acts at Cirque du Soleil

A jury in Vista acquitted two off-duty Border Patrol agents Monday of committing a lewd act during a Cirque du Soleil performance at the Del Mar Fairgrounds

The jury deadlocked on another lewd act charge, but found one of the agents guilty of attacking a Navy psychiatrist who complained about their behavior.

Gerald Joseph Torello, 35, and Kallie Lamb Helwig, 25, will be back in court March 1.

Jurors found Helwig guilty of misdemeanor battery, but deadlocked on a similar charge against Torello.

A witness to the May 27 incident, Navy Lt. Chai Wu, testified that she witnessed the couple "kissing and groping" during a matinee performance and saw what she believed to be Helwig performing a sex act with Torello.

Wu said she told the couple to "get a room," then tried to alert security.

At the end of the show, Helwig and Wu got into a scuffle near an exit and Helwig said she punched Wu in self-defense.

Defense attorneys said Torello and Helwig kissed and were affectionate during the performance but maintained that witnesses misconstrued what happened.

Helwig testified that she was feeling ill and at one point rested her head in Torello's lap.

The defendants remain on administrative leave from the Imperial Beach Border Patrol station while their case is pending.

– City News Service