TORRINGTON — A former Middletown police officer who was sentenced to six years in prison in 2019 — and served roughly two and a half years — for the sexual assault of a 15-year-old girl at a Litchfield residential treatment center was given an unconditional release Thursday at state Superior Court in Torrington.

Ulyses Alvarez, 32, of Waterbury, was convicted by a jury of fourth-degree sexual assault and risk of injury to a child. He was in prison from June 2019 until December 2021 when the Connecticut Appellate Court overturned the jury verdict in his case.

Alvarez, a residential adolescent supervisor at the Litchfield facility at the time of the allegations, originally was charged with fourth-degree sexual assault, risk of injury to a minor, promoting a minor in an obscene performance and possession of child pornography. The latter two charges were dropped during a pretrial hearing prior to his original trial.

In 2023, the state Supreme Court affirmed the Appellate Court's ruling. The state opted not to retry the case, and on Thursday agreed to an unconditional discharge.

The Appellate Court agreed with defense attorney Norm Pattis' argument on behalf of Alvarez that the trial court failed to disclose certain records under seal. The failure to disclose the documents referencing witness credibility and a capacity for truthfulness in the prosecution's case was ruled "not harmless."

At his trial in Superior Court in 2019, Alvarez's teenage accuser spoke about the treatment she said she endured at the hands of Alvarez as a residential adolescent supervisor.

"He was acting like he cared just to get what he wanted out of us," the girl said. "He made me feel worthless."

At his sentencing hearing in September 2019, Judge Michael Wu said Alvarez abused a position of supervision and authority.

"Instead of contributing to a safe and rehabilitative environment, he exploited vulnerability for his personal sexual gratification," Wu said.

At trial, jurors heard testimony about a sexual misconduct complaint against Alvarez while he served briefly as a police officer in Middletown in 2015.

His defense attorney, Kevin Smith, noted during the trial that his client was one of the few male staff members at the Touchstone facility in Litchfield, and said the girls there were infatuated with him.

Former Litchfield County State's Attorney Dawn M. Gallo had described Alvarez as a predator and a danger to society with a "heavy" history of indiscretion and using his position to manipulate women for personal gain.