The exterior of the Kanawha County Judicial Annex is shown on April 29, 2024.
CHRISTOPHER MILLETTE | Gazette-Mail file photo
According to a criminal complaint, a female inmate from the South Central Regional Jail was transported to the seventh floor of the Kanawha County Judicial Annex Tuesday morning for an 11:30 a.m. hearing before Kanawha County Circuit Judge Dave Hardy.
The woman told the West Virginia State Police on Wednesday that Deputy Cass A. Close, 54, who was a bailiff in the Judicial Annex, made sexual comments to her.
According to the complaint, Close took the woman from a holding cell to his office three times. The first two times, the woman alleged, Close performed nonconsensual sexual acts on her and forced her to perform sexual acts on him.
The third time Close took the woman to his office, he made the victim expose herself and took pictures of her exposed genitals with a cellphone, the woman told the State Police.
According to the criminal complaint, Close confessed to the alleged actions Wednesday. He is being held on $100,000 bail at the South Central Regional Jail, according to court and jail records. Close's preliminary hearing is set for Aug. 11.
The State Police is conducting the criminal investigation. The Sheriff's Office is conducting an internal investigation. Close has been terminated, according to Sheriff Joey Crawford.
At a news conference Thursday morning, Crawford said he is committed to making sure the alleged victim receives justice.
"I promise that we will cooperate fully with the investigation and work to make sure this never happens again,†Crawford said. “My office has zero tolerance for this type of misconduct and behavior. We will hold our own accountable, just as we would anyone else. We are held to a higher standard.â€
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