Prosecutors recommended a 22-year sentence for former Lima, Ohio police officer Justin Bentz.
In a callous and ridiculous legal maneuver, Bentz used the defense that the under-age girl enticed him to have sex with her. Bentz also testified that he thought the girl was 21-years-old.
The judge called his defense preposterous.
In June 2015, Bentz gave the girl 80-proof alcohol until she could barely stand, it was then that he decided to remove her clothes and have sex with her – all while the girl urged him to stop.
After the disgraced officer is released from prison in 14 years, he will have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
Hours before the rape occurred, Bentz, 28, had just taken a class on sexual assaults, which is required of all Lima police officers.
During the trial Prosecutor Todd Schroeder grilled Beantz:
“How could it have never crossed your mind when hours before you were taking a class about sex crimes against minors,” asked Schroeder.
Bentz replied, “It’s not something you usually think of when someone is coming on to you.”
The victim, who stood at 5’2″ and weighed 92 pounds, was the sister of his roommate’s girlfriend, who was at his Shawnee Township home when he came home from his shift.
The victim was found by her sister in a closet wearing only a tank top, curled up in the fetal position. Her blood alcohol content was up to .19, more than twice the .08 legal limit.
A nurse determined she suffered blunt force trauma to her vaginal area. A DNA test found his semen on her stomach.
The Lima Police Department not only fired him that same day, they also arrested him
