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A former sheriff’s deputy, accused of raping a 14-year-old girl, makes a deal for no jail time

cigaretteman

HR King
May 29, 2001
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A former Tennessee sheriff’s deputy who was charged with raping a 14-year-old girl has accepted a plea deal, meaning he will not go to trial and face jail time or have to register as a sex offender, court documents show.

Brian Beck, a former deputy with the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, pleaded guilty last week to a lesser charge of aggravated assault — a felony — nearly four years after he was indicted on two counts of rape and two counts of sexual battery by an authority figure, according to the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office.
Prosecutors said the “sexual activity” occurred over a 20-month period starting in 2016, when the victim was 14, according to a 2018 statement from the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office, which was obtained by Law & Crime. In Tennessee, the age of consent is 18.



Beck, 47, of Germantown, Tenn., was sentenced to three years of probation, which includes 150 hours of community service, random drug testing and refraining from contacting his victim, according to the probation order. If he violates his probation terms, he could serve four years in prison. Felony aggravated assault in Tennessee typically carries a prison term of 2 to 15 years.
He was convicted of molesting an 11-year-old girl he met on a dating app. He won’t face jail time.

An attorney for Beck, Leslie Ballin, said the accusations against his client came from a then-14-year-old family member, but he said his client has maintained his innocence from the beginning.
Ballin said Beck agreed to the plea deal to “avoid the possibility of an adverse verdict,” including a prison sentence and being placed on the National Sex Offender Registry for the rest of his life.
Judge gives man convicted of sexual assault choice of joining military or jail: ‘You’re getting a huge break’
The circumstances surrounding the case are not completely clear. But given the totality of the evidence against Beck, District Attorney General Amy Weirich said Monday in an emailed statement to The Washington Post that “we ethically could not proceed to trial on the indicted offenses.” Weirich added the decision was made “in consultation with the victim.”



The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office said Beck was a deputy from 2004 until he was fired in 2018 after his indictment. Prosecutors said in 2018 that Beck was not on duty at the time of the incidents.
Like many others, Beck’s court date was delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic. Last summer, while continuing to wait, the teenage victim’s father, whose identity was withheld to protect his daughter’s privacy, told NBC affiliate WMC that she needed closure.
“I mean, there are damages, you know, major damages and unhappiness,” her father told the news station. “She just needs some closure. She just needs to see movement of the ball, that’s what she needs to see.”

 
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