MARIETTA, Ga.,None — A former Cobb County deputy was sentenced to life in prison for raping an illegal immigrant.
Former Cobb deputy Jason Bill faced a minimum sentence of 25 years behind bars when he was sentenced on Monday. Bill will be eligible for parole.
"You abused the authority of the badge that you have. You used it for your own selfish and depraved purposes. You used it to steal away an innocent and vulnerable victim," said Judge Latain Kell, speaking to Bill.
Bill was convicted just 10 days earlier on seven counts including rape, kidnapping and assault. Prosecutors said he forced the 23-year-old woman to have sex at gunpoint.
The victim was working at a restaurant in Marietta when she said Bill accused her of stealing his phone. The woman said Bill threatened to have her deported then took her to his apartment, handcuffed her to the bed and forced her to have sex.
Bill denied the allegations, and defense attorneys said the woman was a prostitute who Bill paid for sex the night before the attack. They claimed the woman made up the entire story to get a visa.
Channel 2's Ross Cavitt reported the discovery of a white powder at the courthouse caused a partial evacuation immediately following the sentencing. Officials said they had no reason to believe the two incidents were related.
WSBTV
