Kanawha County deputy indicted in alleged sexual assault of inmate, DOJ says

A Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office deputy was charged in a federal indictment with one count of deprivation of rights under color of law arising from his alleged sexual assault of a female inmate in his custody, according to the Justice Department.

The indictment alleges that Cass Aaron Close, 56, violated the victim’s civil rights on July 29, 2025, by sexually assaulting her while he was on duty as a Kanawha County sheriff’s deputy. At the time of the alleged assault, the victim was in Close’s custody at the Kanawha County Judicial Annex, according to the indictment.

If convicted, Close faces a maximum penalty of life in prison, the Justice Department said.

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’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 FBI Pittsburgh Field Office investigated the case with assistance from the West Virginia State Police, according to the department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Herrald for the Southern District of West Virginia is prosecuting the case alongside 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.

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