An Ohio correctional officer has been indicted on federal charges for allegedly sexually abusing a female inmate in his custody.
Damon K. Perry, 52, of Youngstown, is accused of sexually abusing a woman who was being held at the Mahoning County Jail under a contract with a federal law enforcement agency. The indictment alleges that the abuse occurred on two separate occasions in November 2023.
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According to court documents, Perry engaged in non-consensual sexual acts with the inmate while she was under his supervision.
“A prison sentence should never include sexual abuse, and certainly not sexual abuse committed by someone to whom we have entrusted a prisoner’s care and custody,” said U.S. Attorney Rebecca Lutzko. “Correction officers have significant power over the inmates they supervise—they are to use their authority to keep prisoners safe, not abuse it and violate a prisoner’s basic rights.”
The U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of the Inspector General is investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Joyce and Yasmine Makridis are prosecuting the case.
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If convicted, Perry faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison for each count of sexual abuse of a ward.
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