Former West Virginia Sheriff’s Office Deputy Indicted for Alleged Deprivation of Rights of Inmate

A deputy with the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office was charged yesterday in an indictment with one count of alleged deprivation of rights under color of law arising out of his alleged sexual assault of a female inmate in his custody. According to the indictment, on July 29, 2025, Cass Aaron Close, 56, violated the civil rights of the victim when he sexually assaulted her. At the time of the assault, Close was on duty as a Kanawha County Sheriff’s deputy and the victim was in his custody at the Kanawha County Judicial Annex. If convicted of all the charges, Close faces a maximum penalty of life in prison. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, U.S. Attorney Moore Capito for the Southern District of West Virginia, and Special Agent in Charge Richard Evanchec of the FBI Pittsburgh Field Office made the announcement. The case was investigated by the FBI Pittsburgh Field Office 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 Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section. An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.