Houston County Sheriff’s Office chaplain charged with rape, sodomy

The Houston County’s Sheriff’s Office chaplain reportedly confessed to Sheriff Andy Hughes that he sexually assaulted a 15-year-old Dothan girl.

Hughes said Friday that detectives arrested Curtis Otha Grant, 53, of A.J. Register Road, and charged him with a single felony count of second-degree rape, five felony counts of second-degree sodomy and five felony counts of enticing a child for immoral purposes.

Hughes described the arrest as unusual because no victim came to the Houston County Sheriff’s Office, but the alleged assailant confessed first and deputies later sought out the victim.

“He gave a confession and she corroborated everything he said,” Hughes said. “I was angered, very saddened by this news. I was very surprised and shocked.”

Hughes said the sexual assaults happened between Aug. 15 and Sept. 23. Grant was arrested late Thursday night, and was being held at the Houston County Jail on a $65,000 bond. Grant faces two to 20 years in prison if convicted of each of the class B felony crimes he faces.

According to court records, the victim of the sex crimes turned 16 recently.

Hughes said Grant had served as a volunteer chaplain for the Houston County Sheriff’s Office for about three years. Hughes said Grant also served as a chaplain for the Dothan Police Department before coming to the sheriff’s office. Hughes said Grant only served as chaplain for the Houston County Sheriff’s Office and not the jail, where another chaplain works full-time.

Hughes said Grant serves as the pastor of Open Door Baptist Church in Dothan. According to the Open Door Baptist Church Web site, Grant has served as pastor of the church since 1998, and has also served in the ministry field in Africa. According to the church’s Web site, Grant also served in the Marine Corps.

“He did assist in making death notifications and he ministered to us at the office,” Hughes said. “We don’t have any reason to believe there are other victims. We’re expected to police ourselves, and that’s what we’re going to do.”