Ashley Hunter
Greene Publishing, Inc.
On Thursday, Aug. 18, Geoffrey Hill, 44, pled no contest against his charges of sexual battery by person in custodial authority.
Hill, the former band director at Madison County High School, was arrested on May 14, 2014 when a victim contacted authorities with allegations of sexual abuse. Then, when a second victim came forward, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement re-arrested Hill on May 22, 2014 and Hill was held on a $500,000 bond in the Madison County Jail; Hill was bonded out on May 23, 2014.
Reappearing in the public eye on Thursday, Aug. 18, of this year, Hill pled nolo contendere (no contest) to the charges pressed against him. Through pleading no contest, Hill neither admitted guilt nor pled not guilty.
On Tuesday, Aug. 23, at 9 a.m., Hill was placed before the Madison County court of law regarding the five counts of sexual battery by a person in familial or custodial authority and was sentenced for his crimes.
During Hill's sentencing hearing, two victims came forward to address the court and provide their statements.
The victims attested to the damage Hill had wreaked on their private life, such as impacting their ability to trust others and weakening their spiritual faith. They went on to say that the relationship Hill had engaged in with them had lowered their self esteem and self worth.
According to one of the victims, the three-year relationship between he and Hill consisted of Hill preying on the victim's insecurities and depression and causing the victim to feel dependent upon Hill. In further, the victims attested that Hill supported the relationship between himself and the minors in his care by quoting Biblical principals to try and justify their actions and swaying his victims to blindly follow his lead.
After hearing the victim's statements during Hill's trial, Hill's sentencing was issued.
For his first and third count of sexual battery, Hill was sentenced with 15 years per count in a Department of Corrections facility, with credit for the 10 days Hill had already served in jail for that charge; the two sentences will run concurrent to one another. For the second and fourth count of sexual battery, Hill was charged with 30 years of sex offender probation; Hill's probation will begin following the end of his 15-year imprisonment. For the fifth count of sexual battery by a person in custodial authority, Hill was charged with 10 years of sex offender probation, that will run consecutively to 30-years charged by the second and fourth count, giving Hill a total of 40 years of sex offender probation.
Hill will be required to pay a fine of $1,000; $468 in court costs; $100 cost of prosecution; $500 cost of investigation to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE); and a $50 lab fee to FDLE.
In addition, Hill is prohibited from seeking contact with his victims, and will be placed on mandatory electronic monitoring during his 40 years of sex offender probation.