A dentist, Joseph Clarence Cox, has been sentenced to 180 years in prison for multiple sexual offenses involving his employees and patients at his dental practice. Cox, 44, was convicted of rape, sodomy, and sexual abuse following a trial in which eight former employees testified about his inappropriate behavior. Three former patients also came forward with accounts of sexual misconduct during dental procedures.
The arrest of Cox in April 2021 by the Gadsden Police Department in Alabama came after an investigation that revealed a pattern of sexual abuse and harassment towards staff members, leading to a high turnover rate at his practice. Cox’s previous admission to harassment charges in 2012 resulted in a probation sentence and a temporary suspension of his dental license.
During sentencing, Circuit Judge George Day criticized Cox for his disrespectful treatment of women in his workplace, describing it as akin to a personal playground. Cox received 25-year prison terms for each count of first-degree rape and sodomy, and ten-year sentences for each charge of first-degree sexual abuse. The judge ordered that these sentences be served consecutively, totaling 180 years behind bars to ensure justice for the victims.