Joseph Clarence Cox, was sentenced Wednesday to a cumulative 180 years after his conviction for raping, sodomizing and abusing eight members of his staff

Cox, 44, whose dentistry is based in Gadsden, Alabama was also accused of subjecting patients to sexual contact during their dental procedures

The disgraced dentist was arrested on April 27, 2021 on three counts of sexual abuse and on one count of rape

He convicted on two counts of rape, two counts of sodomy, and eight counts of sexual abuse in January

Eight former employees and three patients testified to numerous incidents of sexual abuse within his dental office during business hours

Cox received 25 years for each count of rape and sodomy, 10 years for each count of sexual abuse, to run consecutively

Joseph Clarence Cox, 44, has been sentenced to 180 years in prison for raping, sodomizing, and sexually abusing eight members of his former staff and three patients from his dental office

Alabama dentist Joseph Clarence Cox has been sentenced to 180 years in prison for raping, sodomizing, and sexually abusing eight members of his former staff and three patients at his dentistry. 
Following an investigation by the Gadsden Police Department, which revealed irrefutable pattern evidence of serial improper sexual contact between Cox and his staff, the 44-year-old Gadsden based dentist was arrested on April 27, 2021.
Cox was married over a decade at the time, but following his arrest his wife filed for divorce a month later, citing his “adulterous and criminal conduct” to the breakdown of the marriage.
During the trial, eight former employees of the dentistry and three of his patients testified to the numerous incidents of sexual abuse, including rape, sodomy, and sexual contact during dental procedures by Cox. 
Concluding a week-long trial, the jury found him guilty of two counts of rape, two counts of sodomy, and eight counts of sexual abuse in January. 

Cox [photo] graduated from the University of Alabama School of Dentistry. Years before he opened his own practice in Gadsden he was the subject of complaints regarding sexual harassment and unwanted contact

Presiding judge, George Day, noted that Cox treated his place of business as his ‘own personal playground’ and showed zero respect for any woman who came to his office. 
Cox was sentenced to 25 years in prison for each count of rape and sodomy and 10 years for each count of sexual abuse, with an order that the sentences run consecutively.
Cox, who started the Gadsden Dental Clinic in 2017, was arrested after officers found a large employee turnover within his business between June 2020 and April 2021. 
Officers executed search warrants against his home and the clinic.
Within a week he was taken into custody, but was later released after paying a $100,000 bond. 
His former employees testified that the large turnover at the Gadsden Dental Clinic was due to repeated incidents of sexual abuse by Cox. 
Two former staff members testified that their erstwhile boss went beyond touching to rape and sodomy, with some incidents occurring during normal business hours. 
Not to be spared, two of his patients also patients testified that they were also subjected to sexual contact during their dental procedures.

During the trial, a total of eight former employees and three patients testified to numerous incidents of sexual abuse, including rape, sodomy, and even sexual contact during dental procedures at his business (pictured) in Gadsden

Years before he opened his dental practice in Gadsden, Cox had received complaints regarding sexual harassment and unwanted contact. 
A former employee at his dental office in Fort Payne, less than an hour drive from Gadsden, accused him of smacking her bottom in 2012.

Cox, who started the Gadsden Dental Clinic in 2017 was arrested after officers found a large employee turnover within his business between June 2020 and April 2021

 Cox pled guilty to three counts of harassment after appealing the case to circuit court, online records show. He was fined $500, sentenced to probation, and his dental license was suspended for six months for those offenses at the time. 
Judge Day ordered his sentences to be run consecutively, noting that it would not be justice for each of the victims if the sentences were concurrent.  
Defense attorney Chad Hopper, representing Cox, is appealing the case. “We feel like the state didn’t prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt and we hope the appellate courts can give this another look,” Hopper said.