A former Lake County deputy accused of raping a woman while his dashcam was turned off has been found guilty of sexual battery by a law enforcement officer.

Matthew Donnelly faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison. He could face more than that.

Donnelly was denied bond while he waits for formal sentencing. He was led away from the courtroom to jail.

Matthew Donnelly was arrested and fired after the incident in the early morning hours of New Year's Day in 2014.

On the stand Wednesday, Donnelly explained how and why he ended up turning off the camera for 23 minutes during the time the alleged sexual battery was said to have occurred.

During cross-examination, Assistant State Attorney Dan Mosley pointed out the jury could have seen what actually happened during those 23 lost minutes.

Mosley: It would have been as simple as pushing a button to turn that camera back on?

Donnelly: That's correct.

Mosley: That's all you had to do? Everything you told this jury today that happened while the camera was off, we'd have it?

Donnelly: Yeah, that's true.

Instead, the only video evidence from that early New Year's morning showed a man flagging down then-Deputy Donnelly for help in a pawn shop parking lot along U.S. Highway 27 after his girlfriend had blacked out from drinking.

The woman testified Tuesday, saying she regained consciousness to find the deputy at her door, and she thought her boyfriend was being arrested for drunk driving.

Donnelly testified he believed he couldn't book the man for DUI, because he hadn't seem him driving.

"I walked him back to my patrol car, and I told him, 'You aren't under arrest or anything. I just wanted to talk to her without you interrupting or anything,'" Donnelly said.

That was when the cameras shut off for 23 minutes. Donnelly said it happened as he turned off his flashing lights.

"The front ones — if I'm dealing with somebody at the front of the car, they are really annoying, the way they flash," he explained.

The 26-year-old mother of three said Donnelly told her if she let him grope her, her boyfriend would be freed. Donnelly denied the charge.

Defense Attorney Ed Mills: Did that happen?

Donnelly: No.

Mills: That conversation never took place?

Donnelly: No, it did not.

Donnelly also denied then sexually battering the woman, saying she either made it up or was too drunk to remember.

When the state said the former deputy had a lot more to gain by lying than the victim, Donnelly countered, "I'm the one on trial right now."

We asked Donelly's attorney if he thought the verdict was in any way a reflection of an increasing distrust for law enforcement.

“I did consider that, it’s a difficult topic to try to cover in jury selection," attorney Ed Mills said. "I think it’s kind of the elephant in the room in any case right now involving accusations against law enforcement.”

Donnelly’s wife who had stood by him throughout the trial had nothing to say as she left the courtroom.

Tweets from the courtroom

The following tweets are from Lake County Reporter Dave D'Marko at the Donnelly trial Wednesday. The most recent updates are at the top.