Bond set for Jeffco deputy accused of rape, human trafficking

CrimeJefferson County Sheriff's Office Deputy Robert Nicholas "Nick" Lisle is charged with rape, human trafficking, unlawful imprisonment and third-degree domestic violence.(Blount County Jail)By Carol Robinson | crobinson@al.comA Blount County judge on Thursday set bond for a Jefferson County deputy sheriff accused of threatening to call immigration officials on his girlfriend for the purpose of sexual servitude control.Deputy Robert Nicholas “Nick” Lisle, 47, is charged with human trafficking, first-degree rape, second-degree unlawful imprisonment and third-degree domestic violence/harassment. Lisle was booked into the Blount County Jail Monday. His Aniah’s Law hearing was held Thursday afternoon. Human trafficking is not covered on Aniah’s Law but the first-degree rape charge is. Prosecutors argued that the crime of rape is as personal as it gets. Lisle’s attorney argued that Lisle has no prior criminal history and family ties to the community. Bond on the rape charge was set at $50,000, the range for that charge is between $10,000 and $60,000, and set the human trafficking bond at $30,000 - the max for that charge. Bond for the other two charges was set at $300 each. Lisle works the day shift at the Jefferson County Jail in Birmingham, but is currently on leave.Charging documents state that in July and August, for the purpose of sexual servitude control, Lisle used threatening statements to report the victim to immigration officials and “using blackmail to extort the victim into fulfilling sexual fantasies.”The criminal complaint alleges Lisle raped the victim by force on July 15, and on Aug 14 blocked her in the bathroom to make her delete videos from her phone.Lisle is accused of grabbing the victim by her ponytail and throat to try to use facial recognition to unlock her phone.He also allegedly pushed her down and hit her in a location where she recently had surgery.Lisle, records show, last week sought a protection from abuse order against the woman, saying she was his ex-girlfriend, that they had dated for six months, that she was mentally unstable and that he feared she would ruin his life.A Blount County judge issued a mutual restraining order requiring them to stay 1,000 feet away from each other, to not go to any location that the other frequents, and to refrain from mentioning each other on social media.The retraining order remains in place. Carol Robinson is a senior reporter for AL.com, covering crime, public safety and breaking news in more than 30 Alabama counties. She began her journalism career at The Birmingham News in 1986, and has covered...