Ex-Deacon Gets 8 Years in D.C. Prostitute Assault

A former deacon from Maryland was sentenced to eight years in prison for attempting to sexually assault a prostitute at gunpoint.

Federal prosecutors on Monday announced the sentence for 27-year-old Colin Hatch, of Capitol Heights, Md., who pleaded guilty in March to attempted first-degree sexual abuse and possessing a firearm during the commission of the crime of violence.

At the time of the offense in 2007, prosecutors say Hatch was applying to become a police officer in Baltimore. A jury later found Hatch guilty of several offenses, but part of that verdict was set aside on appeal.

Hatch acknowledged picking up the prostitute and agreeing to pay for sex, but when she demanded payment upfront, he pulled a gun and demanded sex for free. The victim and a friend saw the defendant driving in the area about 15 minutes after the assault and notified police, who arrested Hatch and recovered a .45-caliber handgun that had been purchased legally in Maryland. DNA also linked Hatch to the assault, prosecutors said.