COBB COUNTY, Ga. — A former Cobb County officer was sentenced to six years in prison for abusing a woman and trying to coerce her to involve her underage niece in sexual acts, according to a release from the district attorney's office.
Robert New pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and child cruelty charges after investigators were informed about an assault by a good Samaritan, who expressed concern for the woman.
The woman confided in the person, telling them about the abuse she suffered after meeting New online and starting a relationship with him. The person was concerned because they knew the woman had suffered a traumatic brain injury, which caused her to have cognitive disabilities.
The woman has the mental capacity of a 10 to 14-year-old, according to an arrest warrant from 2018.
Police said New slapped the victim, strangled her and assaulted her throughout the entire month of March. While New and the victim were intimate, he choked her to the point of not being able to breathe, the person later told police.
Law enforcement began looking into the case, learning that New was also emotionally abusive toward the woman, even going so far as trying to coerce her into involving her juvenile niece in sexual activity, the release said.
In addition to conducting interviews with the victim, a forensic analysis of New’s phone backed up the claims of abuse and coercion.
All the while, New was serving as an officer with the Cobb County Police Department and has worked 27 years in law enforcement, the release added.
New was arrested and later pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated assault and one count of cruelty to children in the first degree.
Now, the 51-year-old former law enforcement officer will serve six years in prison followed by 14 years of probation, the DA's office said.
