Arrest of Georgia Police Officer for Aggravated Sodomy

According to reports out of Chatham County, a former police officer has been arrested after a months long investigation.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation began to investigate Arthur Thorpe's conduct last fall. Thorpe has been employed with the Savannah Police Department since 2016. However, he has been placed on administrative leave since the investigation started.

Thorpe has been arrested on charges of aggravated sodomy. No other details have been released yet.

As a Georgia Sex Crimes Lawyer, I will outline the law behind both sodomy as well as aggravated sodomy in today's post. Georgia Criminal Law can be very complicated, and no one should attempt to decipher it on their own without legal help and representation.

Sodomy and Aggravated Sodomy in Georgia

First, in order to fully understand the law behind aggravated sodomy, we need to look at the criminal offense of sodomy in Georgia which is defined in O.C.G.A. §16-6-2 as:

A person commits the offense of sodomy when he or she performs or submits to any sexual act involving the sex organs of one person and the mouth or anus of another.

A person convicted of the offense of sodomy shall be punished by imprisonment for not less than one nor more than 20 years.

The criminal offense of aggravated sodomy in Georgia is defined in the same statute as:

A person commits the offense of aggravated sodomy when he or she commits sodomy with force and against the will of the other person or when he or she commits sodomy with a person who is less than ten years of age. The fact that the person allegedly sodomized is the spouse of a defendant shall not be a defense to a charge of aggravated sodomy.

A person convicted of the offense of aggravated sodomy shall be punished by imprisonment for life or by a split sentence that is a term of imprisonment for not less than 25 years and not exceeding life imprisonment, followed by probation for life.

Practice Note

Sex Crimes in Georgia are taken seriously regardless of who the accused suspect is or what his or her occupation is.

Just because people are accused of committing a crime does not mean that they are guilty of that crimes - even sexual offenses. If you or a loved one has been arrested, contact a Georgia Sex Crimes Attorney today.