A former deputy sheriff was sentenced Friday in the Southern District of Alabama to 12 and a half years in prison for sexually assaulting a woman while he was on duty in January 2020, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said in a statement.
Joshua Davidson, 33, “while on duty as a Dallas County deputy sheriff, placed the victim in custody and drove her down a dark road to a desolate location where the victim performed oral sex on him against her will. The victim, who reported the assault immediately, was in fear that Davidson would shoot her if she did not cooperate,” the DOJ statement read.
Davidson had conducted a traffic stop of the victim, a middle-aged woman, before taking her away and sexually assaulting her, WSFA 12 News reported. He later provided inconsistent reporting of the January 30, 2020, incident during questioning following the woman’s complaint. (RELATED: Sheriff Pleads Guilty To Groping Reality TV Judge At Work Event)
Andy Vermaut shares:Former Alabama deputy pleads guilty to sexually assaulting woman during traffic stop: Former Dallas County, Alabama deputy sheriff Joshua Davidson pleaded… Thank you. #ThankYouJournalistsForTheNewsWeGetFromYou #AndyVermautThanksYou https://t.co/LZ1LGJjODO pic.twitter.com/f9JXuUmUe4
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Davidson had been on the job for only three months and resigned following the assault, per WSFA. An investigation into the incident reportedly resulted in three felony charges of kidnapping, sodomy, and human trafficking. Upon being notified of arrest warrants, Davidson fled to New Hampshire, where the U.S. Marshals Service apprehended him, per WSFA.
“The citizens of Dallas County rightfully rely on their law enforcement officers to serve and protect them, not assault and abuse them. Some criminals wear a badge, and we will continue to hold accountable those who violate the law and erode the trust of our community,” U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello for the Southern District of Alabama said, the statement noted.
Law enforcement officers who “violate the civil rights of the people they are sworn to protect” will be “held accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Mobile Field Office Special Agent in Charge Paul Brown said, per the statement.