Man charged with 1,200 counts of sexual assault and incest involving a minor

 

Robert Cota, 31, of Pensacola, was arrested and charged with 600 counts of sexual assault on a victim between the ages of 12 and 18 and 600 counts of incest that allegedly took place over the last six years and since 2015.

Cota was booked at the Escambia County Jail. His bond is $3,000,000. Cota was reported to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office by a local pastor. 

The  pastor told deputies that Cota had approached him last Sunday saying he “had issues with one of the beliefs” outlined in the church guideline book. Cota specifically pointed to the word “incest." After more conversation, the pastor told Cota that he needed to report himself to authorities. 

According to the arrest report, the victim told authorities that she had sexual encounters with Cota since she was 7 years old. The girl said Cota told her that the sexual acts were how you show affection.

In September 2020, during a separate arrest of Cota, the mother said she recently learned of Cota and the victim having a sexual relationship. The victim’s mother confronted Cota about having a sexual relationship with the girl. In the September 5, 2020 incident, Cota allegedly became angry and pointed a gun at the victim multiple times. Cota was arrested for aggravated assault domestic violence and authorities began investigating the sexual assault and incest allegations.

Information for this post is from The New York Post and WEAR TV.