Oliver Winston Mullins, 32, of Pound, pleaded guilty today in Wise County Circuit Court and admitted to various sexual offenses committed against a child over a two-year period.
Mullins was convicted for aggravated sexual battery and indecent liberties with a child under the age of 15, according to a press release from Commonwealth Attorney Chuck Slemp.
Mullins pleaded under the Alford rule, which means a defendant does not admit guilt but acknowledges there is sufficient evidence for a conviction.
He was sentenced to 30 years in the penitentiary with 20 years suspended, will serve an active sentence of 10 years within the custody of the Virginia Department of Corrections, must register as a sex offender, and will be required to successfully complete 20 years of supervised probation. The sentence is above the Virginia Sentencing Commission recommended guidelines.
In early 2016, the child victim reported to a teacher that she had been sexually assaulted by Mullins. An investigation by the Wise County Department of Social Services, Virginia State Police and the Southwest Virginia Children’s Advocacy Center revealed that Mullins had inappropriate sexual contact with the child between March 2014 and April 2016. Evidence showed that Mullins displayed pornographic material to the victim. Mullins was employed as a police officer with the Big Stone Gap Police Department at the time.
A weeklong jury trial was scheduled to begin in October. Had the case proceeded to trial, the child victim would have been forced to testify about the details of the sexual abuse and endure cross examination from Mullins’s defense attorneys.
Slemp commented: “Today’s plea serves to further protect this child from the abuse of Mr. Mullins. A jury trial would have been particularly traumatic for the victim in this case. Younger victims sometimes have difficulty testifying in front of a jury. Forcing this juvenile victim to endure a jury trial, testifying about these types of crimes, serves only to revictimize the child.”