Two Walker County, Ga., deputies arrested on attempted rape charges

Two Walker County deputies were arrested Tuesday on charges of aggravated assault, criminal attempt to rape and false imprisonment.

Deputies Brandon England, 40, and Shawn Norris, 36, were told to turn themselves in to the Catoosa County Jail by 5 p.m. Tuesday. Both were booked without incident.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation and Fort Oglethorpe police have worked a case against the deputies since Sunday, after a woman claimed the men tried to hold her against her will and rape her in a North Georgia apartment. The woman escaped.

The investigation is still active. England and Norris did not have a bond as of Tuesday evening, and Norris’ attorney, Larry Stagg, is not sure when they will go before a Catoosa County magistrate.

“We feel like this is a rush to justice, and we’re going to fight it,” Stagg said.

When he learned criminal charges would be filed, Walker County Sheriff Steve Wilson said he suspended England and Norris without pay. He added they were off duty at the time of the alleged attack. Administrators at the department will decide whether they still have jobs after an internal affairs investigation.

Wilson previously told the Times Free Press he was informed that the accuser had a consensual relationship with one of the deputies Saturday. Then, that deputy brought the woman to the second deputy’s apartment, where the men allegedly tried to rape her. It’s not clear how the woman escaped.