WASHINGTON COUNTY, Colorado — A former deputy with the Washington County Sheriff's Office will have to register as a sex offender and undergo sex offense special treatment after pleading guilty to two charges earlier this year.
John Hart was also sentenced Tuesday to five years of probation and 30 days in jail. He pleaded guilty in September to first-degree official misconduct and sexual assault.
A teenage girl said Hart had sex with her in his patrol vehicle while he was in uniform, which resulted in an arrest for sexual assault on a child, according to an arrest affidavit from the 13th Judicial District Attorney's Office.
He was arrested in October 2018 and pleaded guilty to charges in September of this year.
As part of the plea deal, prosecutors dismissed two charges related to sexual assault on a child by a person in a position of trust.
A complaint was filed with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office on Aug. 21, 2018, regarding a possible sexual assault by Hart, according to a prior release from the Sheriff's Office.
The sheriff requested the District Attorney’s Office investigate the complaint.
Before the sex assault investigation was complete, Hart was let go from the Sheriff's Office due to the findings of an internal investigation by the Sheriff’s Office, on other, unrelated issues.
The victim in the case in August 2018 disclosed to her probation officer a sexual relationship she had with Hart. She said she first encountered Hart through the Sheriff's Office when she was under 18.
She spoke at Hart's sentencing and indicated she never wanted the case charged and did not want him to receive jail time, according to the district attorney's office.
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