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CHARLESTON, WEST VIRGINIA — August 19, 2026 — A former Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office deputy has been indicted by a federal grand jury on one count of deprivation of rights under color of law arising from the alleged sexual assault of a female inmate who was in his custody.
Cass Aaron Close, 56, was indicted in connection with an incident that allegedly occurred on July 29, 2025, at the Kanawha County Judicial Annex.
According to the indictment, Close was on duty as a Kanawha County Sheriff’s deputy when he allegedly sexually assaulted the female inmate while she was in his custody.
Federal prosecutors allege that Close violated the civil rights of the victim through the conduct described in the indictment.
If convicted, Close faces a maximum penalty of life in federal prison.
The charge remains an allegation. Close has not been convicted and is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
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 announced the indictment.
The FBI Pittsburgh Field Office investigated the case with assistance from the West Virginia State Police.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Rada 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.
The federal case is identified as United States v. Cass Aaron Close, Case No. 2:26-cr-102.
Close remains accused, not convicted, of depriving the inmate of her civil rights while he was serving on duty as a Kanawha County Sheriff’s deputy.
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