Guard, inmate plead guilty in prison sex case

By Matt Pordum (contact)

Wednesday, Jan. 26, 2005 | 11:10 a.m.

A former guard at the state women's prison in North Las Vegas and the inmate whose baby he fathered both pleaded guilty to criminal charges related to the incident on Tuesday.

Former Correctional Officer Randy Easter pleaded guilty to one count of voluntary sexual conduct with a prisoner for having sex with inmate Korinda Martin.

The sexual encounter at Southern Nevada Women's Facility resulted in Martin giving birth to a 7-pound boy she named Anthony in January 2004.

Easter faces probation or one to four years in prison when he is sentenced March 22 before District Judge Donald Mosley.

Chief Deputy Attorney General Gerald Gardner said Easter had little choice but to plead guilty.

"For him (Easter) the evidence was so overwhelming ... She (Martin) reported him as the person who got her pregnant, and there were telephone conversations where she talked about him to her mother," Gardner said.

Gardner said the biggest piece of evidence was produced after the baby was born and blood tests showed there was a "99.9999 percent" chance Easter was the father.

Easter, who is out of custody, stood in court on Tuesday and said, "I voluntarily had sex with an inmate."

Martin entered an Alford plea to one count of conspiracy to commit a crime. Under an Alford plea a defendant technically does not admit guilt but agrees that prosecutors could prove their case at trial.

Martin is already in custody at the Northern Nevada Correctional Center in Carson City where she is serving a two- to 10-year sentence on a robbery charge. Gardner said he would not oppose probation for Martin at her March 22 sentencing before Mosley.

Gardner said he would also not oppose running a probation sentence concurrent to the prison term Martin is currently serving.

Martin's attorney, Scott Olifant, said Martin is "doing as well as can be expected under the circumstances and is just trying to put the pieces of her life together."

Olifant said Martin "wants to be with the baby" who is "healthy and in good hands."

Olifant said he is awaiting the setting of a trial date for a federal civil suit Martin has filed against Easter, Corrections Corp. of America, which operates the Southern Nevada Women's Facility, the state Department of Corrections and Gov. Kenny Guinn.