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Ex-detention officer arrested on rape charges after victim fights back, investigators say

MURRAY COUNTY, Ga. — A former detention officer was arrested Friday on rape charges by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation

Kirk Taylor Martin, 28, of Acworth, is accused of sexually assaulting a woman from Thursday afternoon until Friday morning, the GBI said in a news release.

He faces charges of rape, aggravated sexual battery, aggravated assault (family violence), criminal attempt to commit sodomy, false imprisonment and hindering an emergency call, the release said.

Martin worked as a jailer in Murray County from March 2017 until he was fired in April 2018, according to Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council (POST) records.

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Murray County sheriff's Deputy Chief Jimmy Davenport told the Dalton Daily Citizen-News that Martin was fired after multiple violations of jail policy. Those included giving an inmate the wrong prescription medication, among other procedural issues.

He has no other experience in law enforcement in Georgia, POST records show. He passed his jailer certification class at the Georgia Public Safety Training Center in Cherokee County in September 2017. Among his training history, he logged two hours for a sexual harassment course while at the Murray County Sheriff’s Office.

Greg Ramey, special agent in charge with the GBI, also told the newspaper that the scratches across Martin’s chest and neck, which are visible in his booking photo, are from the victim fighting back. Both of his eyes are also swollen from the alleged struggle.

Martin was booked into the Rabun County Jail for holding after being denied bond in Murray County, the Daily Citizen reported.

The joint investigation by the GBI and Murray County Sheriff’s Office is ongoing.