SUPERIOR COURT
A Jones County man received a 50-year sentence with 25 years to serve in prison for what appears to have been the criminal behavior of incest that has spanned more than two decades.
John Oliver Cohen was in Jones County Superior Court Jan. 3 and entered guilty pleas to three counts of incest and one count of photographing underneath an individual’s clothing.
He was sentenced to 30 years each for two counts of incest, 20 years for a third count of incest, and five years for the crime of photographing underneath an individual’s clothing. Counts 1 and 2 are to run consecutively with each other but concurrently with the other counts for a total of 50 years with the first 25 years to be served in confinement. The remainder of the sentence may be served on probation.
Cohen will receive credit for time served from June 26, 2022.
According to Jones County Sheriff’s Office, an April 1, 2022, report of the incest was not the first to be received. Investigator John Simmons made contact with one of the victims in the case in the JCSO lobby. During that meeting, the victim told him that she had been molested by Cohen for the past 20 years.
The reason the complainant came forward was her concern for young children who were now living in the household. Simmons said he looked through past incident reports and found there were previous allegations against Cohen that had never been indicted.
A report by Dep. Jeffrey Keith Robinson stated he was dispatched to the JCSO to meet with Cohen. He said Cohen admitted to having inappropriate contact with more than one young victim.
The offender told Robinson he had a problem with porn, which led him to the inappropriate behavior with the victims. Following his confessions, Cohen was taken into custody at the Jones County Law Enforcement Center.
At the conclusion of their interview, Robinson contacted Simmons and updated him about Cohen’s confessions of taking pictures of his victims in addition to the inappropriate touching. His statement included the fact that the 2010 allegations against him were true but never prosecuted because of a lack of evidence.
Simmons said he made contact with an adult at the offender’s residence who found an iPad used by Cohen containing pictures of the victims. The adult confronted the offender who confessed the inappropriate behavior.
The investigator said he got a warrant for the iPad and other electronic devices in the home and found multiple pictures of the victims that included sexual acts with Cohen.
