DNA test conducted to determine father of inmate’s baby

Thursday, Jan. 22, 2004 | 9:41 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- A DNA test has been conducted to determine the father of a boy born earlier this month to a female prison inmate who says she was impregnated by a guard at the women's prison in North Las Vegas.

Glen Whorton, assistant director of the state Department of Corrections, said Wednesday the results are not back yet from the DNA test that was done on the son of inmate Korinda Martin.

Martin has given up the baby, named Anthony, to a woman in Las Vegas identified only as "Lucy," who has a long-standing relationship with the inmate. Scott Olifant, Martin's attorney, said Wednesday the inmate has not waived parental rights.

Olifant said the baby, who weighed seven pounds at birth, has "no significant health problems."

Martin has filed a lawsuit in federal court in Las Vegas naming former guard Randy Easter as the father. She said she became pregnant at the Nevada Women's Correctional Facility, operated by Corrections Corp. of America.

The state is conducting an investigation to determine if criminal charges should be filed. The law says it is a felony for both parties if there is voluntary sexual conduct between a prisoner and another person.

Martin's suit says she "could not resist the sexual demands of Randy Easter due to the inherent power and control prison guards have over prisoners in a prison environment." She maintains the sexual conduct was involuntary.

Martin is serving a two- to 10-year term for robbery from Clark County and is eligible for parole in July 2005. If paroled, she must start serving a one- to four-year term for coercion.

Whorton says Martin will remain at the Northern Nevada Correctional Center in Carson City "for the time being."

When it was disclosed in July that Martin was pregnant, she was transferred from North Las Vegas to the regional medical center at the state prison in Carson City and gave birth at the Carson-Tahoe Hospital.

Martin, in her lawsuit, said she wanted to keep her baby, but prison officials said prison is not the place to raise children. The suit also seeks to require health care coverage for the baby until he reaches age 21.