KANAWHA COUNTY, WV (LOOTPRESS) – A former Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office deputy has been federally indicted on a civil rights charge stemming from the alleged sexual assault of a female inmate while she was in his custody.
Cass Aaron Close, 56, was charged with one count of deprivation of rights under color of law, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
The indictment alleges that on July 29, 2025, Close sexually assaulted the woman while he was on duty as a Kanawha County sheriff’s deputy. The woman was in Close’s custody at the Kanawha County Judicial Annex at the time.
If convicted, Close faces a maximum penalty of life in prison.
The FBI Pittsburgh Field Office investigated the case with assistance from the West Virginia State Police.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Herrald for the Southern District of West Virginia and Trial Attorneys Cassandra Hughes and Tenette Smith of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.
An indictment is an allegation, and Close is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
