Former Detective Scott Edwards Pleads Guilty to Sexual Abuse

Jul 11, 2012 at 9:26 am

Scott Edwards, a former detective with the Lincoln County Sheriff's Department, pleaded guilty Tuesday to violating the constitutional rights of five women in his authority while he was working for the Lincoln County Drug Court.

Edwards, 50, was charged with coercing the women into performing sex acts with him or he'd send them back to jail. All of his victims were participating in the Lincoln County Drug Court; Edwards was their "tracker," keeping tabs on them and their recovery. The sexual acts resulted in bodily injury to one or more of the victims, and involved kidnapping some of the victims and holding them in hotels. Edwards perpetrated these crimes while on- and off-duty.

Edwards resigned when the charges were first filed in 2010. Three of the counts carry a sentencing range of one year up to life imprisonment. He will be sentenced on October 18, 2012.