Case of alleged rape of jail inmate submitted to DA

Cathy Scott

Thursday, Feb. 26, 1998 | 10:15 a.m.

A 15-count case involving a rookie Metro Police corrections officer accused of raping a female inmate has been submitted to the district attorney's office for possible prosecution.

A 3-inch-thick file was submitted Wednesday by Metro's sexual assault unit, Assistant District Attorney Chuck Thompson said.

Meanwhile, the officer, whose name has not been released, has been placed on paid administrative leave pending the district attorney's review and decision, Metro Deputy Chief Dave Sweikert said.

The multiple counts included in the file are coercion, sexual assault, oppression under color of office, sexual conduct between an officer and prisoner without consent, indecent exposure and lewd conduct, Thompson said.

Sweikert said Metro was awaiting the district attorney's decision whether to prosecute the officer before deciding what would happen administratively to him. Detectives with the Internal Affairs Bureau were conducting a separate administrative investigation, he said.

The officer last month was working on the second floor of the Clark County Detention Center, which is run by Metro, when the alleged assault took place. The male corrections officer was hired by Metro in December 1996.

The second floor is where protective-custody inmates and those with medical conditions, on medication or diagnosed with mental disorders are housed, he said.

The inmate filed a complaint at the jail alleging the officer forced her to sit on top of the sink in her cell, then raped her, jail sources said.