A corrections deputy in Memphis, Tennessee, was arrested and charged for allegedly having sex with an inmate at the Shelby County Jail.
Akira Jones was arrested Tuesday, February 6, and charged with sexual conduct of prisoners, WREG reports. The charges came after the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) received a complaint on December 20, 2023.
A subsequent investigation identified Jones as
the suspect, initially prompting the sheriff’s office to place her on administrative leave without pay in January. The sheriff’s office then notified the district attorney’s office and investigators to bring the case before a grand jury.Two days after her arrest, the SCSO announced Jones was terminated from her job after being charged with a class E felony.
“The Shelby County Sheriff’s
Office instructs all personnel, at hire and at in-service, that sexual contact between an officer and detainee is a criminal act that will lead to prosecution and termination,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.“It is forbidden by law and policy. The SCSO will not tolerate the misconduct of any employee and will continue to hold our employees accountable to the highest ethical standards to ensure our public’s trust.”
Jones didn’t make it a full year with the SCSO after beginning her corrections deputy role in May 2023. As of last week, Jones remained jailed on a $5,000 bond.
Her arrest came one month after a corrections officer in Elkhart County, Indiana, was arrested for allegedly having sex with a female inmate, WNDU reports. Malachi Yoder, 26, was identified
as the suspect after a female inmate told corrections staff that she had sex with an unidentified male corrections officer. Yoder was arrested and sent to Elkhart County Jail.