The victim’s mother reportedly learned about it and told the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department on Thursday.
ST. LOUIS — A St. Louis sheriff’s deputy is under investigation for sexually assaulting a detainee at the City Justice Center jail.
Police sources confirmed to 5 On Your Side that the male deputy allegedly assaulted the female detainee in January. The victim’s mother reportedly learned about it and told the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department on Thursday.
The deputy did not work as an employee of the jail, but occasionally has access to it, sources told 5 On Your Side. The sheriff’s office confirmed the deputy has since been fired.
Officers are actively investigating the sexual assault.
Under Missouri state law, it’s a felony for employees of jails, prisons, or correctional facilities to engage in any sexual conduct with anyone in the custody of a jail, prison, or correctional facility. Detainees also cannot legally give consent to sexual relationships with law enforcement officers.
The investigation sparked a confrontation between the sheriff and jail leadership that resulted in the interim jail commissioner being briefly handcuffed Friday.
Sheriff Alfred Montgomery arrived at the jail seeking physical evidence and requesting to speak with the victim. According to multiple sources familiar with the incident, Montgomery handcuffed Interim Jail Commissioner Tammy Ross during a standoff captured on the facility’s security cameras.
Montgomery spoke to 5 On Your Side Friday and claimed he was within his rights to conduct an internal investigation and that deputies were eventually able to access and interview the victim.
This is a developing situation. This article will be updated when more information is released.
The investigation comes two months after a lawsuit was filed against the jail on behalf of a female inmate who said she was sexually assaulted by a male inmate last March. She said he took advantage of broken locks to get into the female holding area.
The suit alleges the jail knew the lock from an outer hallway to the female detainee holding area had been nonfunctional for an extended period, and that a pre-admission housing unit officer allowed the male detainee into that hallway without accompanying him.
The City Counselor’s Office said it possesses video of the assault, according to the lawsuit.
A recent report focused on the City Justice Center exposed multiple severe failures, including a critical lack in staffing. Only 37% of staff positions are filled to address detainees’ needs, like fixing clogged toilets, addressing medical problems and dealing with overcrowding in the intake area.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Former inmate describes filth and neglect at St. Louis jail
A recent detainee of the jail previously told 5 On Your Side that conditions at the City Justice Center were nothing short of inhumane.
“You got to step over other people’s bodies,” 34-year-old Stacy Stozier told 5 On Your Side. “The toilet wasn’t working. It was just feces, urine, throw-up stuck in this toilet… Finally, they open the door. We got to get in the doorway like, ‘Y’all not closing this door until we get a plunger.’ We have to do the most just for the bare minimum.”
