Former Bibb deputy sentenced to 10 years in identity fraud case

In 2014, two Bibb County deputies had broken off their dating relationship and the woman started dating someone new.

Now, former deputy Ryan Willis admits he used photos from another woman's Instagram account to text his ex-girlfriend's new beau, pretending to be the woman in the photos.

The woman in the photos previously had gone to Willis for help as the victim in a criminal case.

Willis, 37, pleaded guilty earlier this week to identity fraud and two counts of making harassing phone calls. He was suspended from the sheriff's office after his 2014 arrest and later resigned.

Thursday, on the morning of his sentencing, Willis addressed a Bibb County Superior Court judge, apologizing for his misdeeds.

"I can't be more sorry than I am," he said. "I made some stupid mistakes."

Willis, who's been working from a car dealership for nearly two years, said he was trying to save his family, but was misguided in how went about it.

Despite Willis's father and a former co-worker pleading for leniency, Judge Ed Ennis sentenced Willis to 10 years, two of them in prison.

"This is a troubling case in many respects," the judge said. "If you are sworn to uphold the law, you are sworn to uphold the law 24 hours a day."

Instead of helping the victim in a case, Ennis said Willis "victimized her" and two other people.

"You disrespected the law and broke the law," he said.

Ennis agreed to sentence Willis as a first offender, meaning if he successfully completes his sentence he won't have a felony record.

He also ruled that Willis will be eligible to possibly have his probation end early if he successfully completes the first six years of his sentence.

Willis also was ordered to notify the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council of his guilty plea and sentence within a week and serve 200 hours of community service after he's released from prison.

The woman whose photos and identity were used in Willis's messages spoke in court Thursday, saying she had to quit her job after the incident.

Statements from Willis's ex-girlfriend and her new husband also were read as part of the hearing.

Paul Christian, Willis's lawyer, said although the evidence shows his client "went off the rails for a little bit," he's not a danger to society.

"He's in control," Christian said.

Another of Willis's former co-workers testified, describing Willis as a dedicated, hard worker from the days when he worked as a K9 handler prior to his arrest.

To contact writer Amy Leigh Womack, call 744-4398 or find her on Twitter@awomackmacon.

This story was originally published February 11, 2016 at 2:31 PM with the headline "Former Bibb deputy sentenced to 10 years in identity fraud case ."