An Alabama dentist was sentenced to 160 years in prison after being convicted of 13 counts of rape, sexual abuse and sodomy, court records showed.
Joseph Clarence Cox, 44, of Gadsden, was arrested on the charges in 2021.
The indictment filed against him did not indicate whether there were multiple victims.
An Etowah County jury found Cox guilty of the charges on Jan. 26. They acquitted him on three sexual abuse charges.
On March 26, Etowah County Circuit Court Judge George C. Day sentenced Cox to 160 years in state prison, according to court records.
Cox’s attorney indicated he would appeal the conviction.
According to court records, Cox pleaded guilty in 2013 to two counts of misdemeanor harassment, was sentenced to 90 days suspended sentence and paid a $500 fine. A former worker in Cox’s office in DeKalb County told police she was fired after she turned down his advances, which included suggestive comments and spanking her.
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