I’m not a jailer, nor have I ever been involved in my state’s prison system. But I think I can still safely say that these two Jail Deputies from Oconee County, Georgia probably should have known better.
Deputy Dewayne Powers has been fired and Deputy Andrea Rogers has resigned following an internal investigation that revealed inappropriate communications with a 23-year-old female inmate. According to a note on the Oconee County Facebook page, both men had sent the woman friend requests on Facebook.
Powers had been employed by the county since November of 2010, and Rogers since August of the same year.
To be fair, it’s wasn’t just the Facebook friend request that landed the Jail Deputies in hot water. According to NBC News, the “inappropriate communications” extended to texts and face-to-face encounters of a sexual nature while the female inmate was in lockup.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, both men vehemently denied any sort of inappropriate physical contact, but did both admit to the electronic communications.
“We do not normally issue information releases on disciplinary actions; however, we do in this case in response to rumors about sexual acts between staff and inmates and several media inquiries into the matter. We stress again that there is no evidence on any actual physical contact having taken place, and such was adamantly denied by all parties involved,” says Sheriff Scott Berry.
[Powers, top, and Rogers, left courtesy of Oconee County Sheriff’s Office, Facebook]