Friday, December 28, 2007

Virginia May Be For Lovers, But Not If The Girl Is Under Age- by E.T.


Halloween can be a time for playful scares. Police are employed to serve and protect citizens. However, when police "service" an underage female citizen, a crime occurs warranting a change into a striped uniform and an extended trip to the other side of the steel bars is in order. Brian Doss (age 32) a former Chilhowie police sergeant was entrusted with serving and protecting the citizens. A little more than a year after wearing the uniform of a police officer he now has the status of inmate. Doss was sentenced to serve a year in jail after pleading guilty Thursday to crimes against a teenage girl. (Brian Doss had been charged with five crimes after he and former Chilhowie police Chief Dwayne Sheffield allegedly had sex with the 17-year-old at a 2006 Halloween haunted house fundraiser.) Doss had originally been charged with forcible sodomy, nonforcible sodomy, sexual battery, child endangerment and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
In Smyth County Circuit Court, the sexual battery charge was amended to a charge of assault and battery. Doss pleaded guilty to the amended charge and the child endangerment charge.
In exchange, the prosecutor dropped the sodomy charges and the contributing charge.
For assault and battery, Doss was sentenced to 12 months in jail with nine months suspended. For child endangerment, he was sentenced to three years with two years and three months suspended. Doss begins residing in Southwest Virginia Regional Jail in Abingdon as of January 7th. After serving his time, he will be on probation for 3 years and will have no contact with the victim.
Doss's attorney, Jimmie Hess, apparently thought it was a good result. But Doss and Sheffield have always maintained that the sex was consensual. Nevertheless, Hess said Doss was "very remorseful" because of the girl's age. (Note in some states the age for consensual sex may be as young as 16.)
The other member of the misguided duo, Dwayne Sheffield is serving a little over three years after entering an Alford plea to a charge of "animate object sexual penetration." All other charges, including a rape charge, were dropped. (An Alford plea, allowed Sheffield to maintain his innocence while admitting there was enough evidence for a conviction.)
Who knows exactly how this frightful Halloween evolved into such a tragic career ending mishap for these two former officers. But one thing is certainly clear, these two men apparently used incredibly bad judgment that has may have forever scarred their victim.

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

A horrible breach of authority. I think the crime warranted a longer sentence!


T.B.

Anonymous said...

This case shows that just because a man has a uniform or a position of authority, does not mean that the man's intentions are good...


Jill

Anonymous said...

What a breech of trust!

Ralph

Anonymous said...

I would like a little more made for t.v. facts on this one.


Harry

Anonymous said...

Can it be much more graphic?

Anonymous said...

Sure, there could be pornographic film of the incident but that would violate even more laws!

Ms Calabaza said...

sounds like a pretty scary night for the victim.

Ms Calabaza said...

Does anyone know where I can vote for best Legal Pub story of the year?

Anonymous said...

Dirtbag!

L.S.

Legal Pub said...

Ms. C, just send an email for your favorite Legal Pub story for 2007 to

legalpub@legalpub.net

Winner will be announced on New Years Eve.

Anonymous said...

OOps.. should have carded her.

Legal Pub said...

Update September of 2008: A $30.35 million lawsuit was filed against current and former town officials related to the 2006 incident.

Sarah Coalson filed the suit in Smyth County Circuit Court, and it names as defendants the town of Chilhowie, former police chief Dwayne Sheffield, former police officer Brian Doss, Mayor Gary Heninger and former town manager William Rush. It also names current town council members and one former council member.

In November, Sheffield took an Alford plea to a charge of object sexual penetration. Under an Alford plea, a defendant maintains innocence while admitting the prosecution has evidence sufficient for a conviction.

He had faced charges of rape, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, sexual battery and child endangerment.

Doss pled guilty to charges of felony child endangerment, which was amended from charges of abuse and neglect of a child; and sexual battery was amended to assault and battery.

Coalson, who is now 18, filed the suit through Abingdon, Va., attorney David Childers.

According to the 42-page lawsuit, Coalson, who was 17 at the time, was a volunteer at the haunted house and was helping Doss and Sheffield close down for the night.

“As they walked toward the back exit, Sheffield left Doss and Coalson alone to, presumably, shut off the building’s electric generator... Doss began to kiss and fondle Coalson as they stood in the main hallway of the building.” according to the complaint.

Sheffield also allegedly fondled Coalson, “against her will,” according to the lawsuit.

Anonymous said...

interesting...

Anonymous said...

For anyone that shops at Lebanon Block & Supply you will find Doss there. Just do NOT take your wife with you or your young daughters.