A man accused of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old while working as a Colorado public defender was sentenced to 10 years to life in prison by an El Paso County judge on Thursday, according to a news release by the 4th Judicial District Attorney’s Office. Thomas Cushing, 27, pleaded not guilty to one charge he faced, but a jury found him guilty of committing the assaults in a pattern in March. His arrest affidavit alleges he met the victim twice for sexual intercourse after they met on a dating app and began messaging on Discord, according to previous Gazette reporting . The victim allegedly told the then-26-year-old Cushing she was an 18-year-old high school student who lived with her legal guardians. He allegedly told her that he was a public defender with important and “classified work.” One of the two encounters began with Cushing picking up the victim outside her school, Cushing’s arrest affidavit alleges.…