A former Coffee County jail officer accused of sexual misconduct with an inmate will not be serving any prison time after being allowed to plead to a lesser charge earlier this week.
James Avery Dixon was arrested in August 2015 and charged with three counts of sexual assault by a person with supervisory or disciplinary authority and one count of violation of oath by a public officer. Officials with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation stated at that time that the arrest occurred after Coffee County Sheriff Doyle Wooten contacted the GBI’s Douglas office to investigate allegations of sexual misconduct by Dixon that were made by a female inmate at the Coffee County Jail.
Sheriff’s authorities added the inmate’s allegation was substantiated by a video recording taken from the in-house jail video system.
“I find Mr. Dixon’s actions deplorable,” Sheriff Wooten said last August. “Having the authority and legal ability to enforce laws in the State of Georgia comes with higher accountability and standard of conduct. I have not and shall never tolerate any such behavior from any member of this office.”
Dixon appeared in Coffee County Superior Court this week and pleaded guilty to a reduced count of sexual battery (a misdemeanor) and one count of felony violation of oath of office. He received 12 months probation on the sexual battery charge and five years probation for violation of oath of office. He was also given a six-month suspended sentence at a probation detention center should he violate any of the conditions of his probation.