On Wednesday a police officer in Ohio was sentenced to 43 years in prison for sexually assaulting four women while on duty, including two women he had taken to the police station to have sex with.
Justin Sanderson, 33, was a police officer in the Montgomery County village of Phillipsburg. Sanderson won’t be eligible for parole until 33 years.
In court Sanderson said that he still considers himself innocent.
According to Daily Dayton News, Sanderson was arrested in July 2017 after two women told police they had agreed to have sex at a motel with someone they had connected with on Backpage.com, a popular classified sex trafficking website shut down this year by federal authorities.
The women said Sanderson came to their room in uniform, told them he was investigating human trafficking and prostitution, and gave them a warning.
Sanderson left, returned a short time later and had sex with the two prostitutes. The prostitutes told police they felt forced into sex with Sanderson because he was a police officer.
Sanderson's arrest prompted two other women to come forward.
One woman said Sanderson stopped her for driving under the influence in May 2017 and forced her to have sex with him at the police station.
Another woman said she was forced into sexual conduct at the police station after her arrest on an active warrant.
Montgomery County Prosecutor Mat Heck says:
> “This defendant used his authority as a police officer to force four victims into sexual activity. Not only will he never be in a position of authority in the future, but he will be unable to victimize anyone else.”
Sanderson was found guilty of 19 counts, including kidnapping and rape during his trial in August 2018. The judge sentenced Sanderson to 43 years in prison during his sentencing hearing. Sanderson was also ordered to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison.
