Texas ex-cop gets only probation for raping woman he met on domestic violence call

A former El Paso, Texas, police officer was sentenced to 10 years of probation on Friday after being convicted of raping a woman he picked up in response to a domestic violence call, according to the El Paso Times.

A jury convicted William Ollie Alexander of raping a victim, whose identity is not public, in March 2018. He responded to a domestic violence call, and later went to pick her up. When he picked her up, he took her to a dark area of the city and raped her.

The victim called it the worst day of her life and said she will never be the same — including the fact that she doesn't know if she wants to bring children into a world where such a horrible thing could happen.

"Can you imagine having a daughter and having this happen to her?" the victim asked during her emotional testimony. "It would be awful. I don't have kids, but mom was overprotective, and I am going to be even more overprotective. This is something I will never forget. It was the worst day of my life."

Alexander's attorneys and father pleaded with the jury to give him a lenient sentence, saying that a sending a former police officer to prison with gang members is essentially a death sentence. Alexander began crying when his children came into the courtroom.

"I understand he made a moral mistake," Alexander's father said. "My son is a law enforcement officer. I think you, I, and all the men and women of the jury know what happens to law enforcement officers in prison."

Defendants in Texas can choose whether to be sentenced by a judge or a jury in non-capital cases, and Alexander chose the jury. He was facing a maximum of 20 years in prison. Prosecutors were seeking at least 15 years.

Alexander's attorney, Omar Carmona, said the jury made the right choice in realizing that not all sexual assault convictions warrant a prison sentence. Alexander will be required to register as a sex offender for life.