PORTSMOUTH, Va. - Former Portsmouth Police Officer Cleshaun Cox will serve five years behind bars at the Southampton County Jail after pleading guilty to carnal knowledge of a person detained or arrested by a law enforcement officer.
Cox was originally charged with rape by force/threat, but the charge was amended. An abduction charge of 10 years behind bars was suspended.
He will be on supervised probation for three years after his release.
Court documents state that the alleged offense between Cox and a 17-year-old female took place in May 2019 at a location on Victory Boulevard in Portsmouth. The victim told police she was followed home by Cox and told to drop off her friends, then was told to follow Cox to Victory Boulevard.
The documents went on to state the victim was told by Cox to leave her phone and keys in her car and get into his, where she was forced to have sex with him.
Cox's family told News 3 that he had been with the police department for just over a year, and also served as a preacher at Word Cathedral Worship Center in Virginia Beach.
