A former jail employee in Iowa has been accused of having sex with an inmate multiple times, including in a utility closet and the recreation yard, according to authorities.
Kayla Mae Bergom, 27, of Belle Plaine, Iowa, was charged with three counts of sexual misconduct on April 20 but was released later that day on a pre-trial release, according to an arrest report cited by the Tama-Toldeo News Chronicle.
Bergom, who had been working at the jail for three years, resigned from the Tama County Jail facility when the charges were brought against her, the Gazette reported.
She pleaded not guilty to the charges in May and will face trial on August 12.
Bergom allegedly engaged in sex multiple times with an unidentified 29-year-old inmate from September 2020 to April 2021 at the jail facility.
A criminal complaint shows that the alleged acts occurred once in a utility closet in October 2020 and twice in the recreation yard, once in September 2020 and another time in April 2021.
The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation learned of the alleged misconduct after they received a tip from a county employee, KCRG noted. Their investigation was completed in March.
The former jailer may face up to six years in state prison if she is convicted.
It is not uncommon for jail employees to engage in sexual acts with inmates.
In July 2021, Tina Gonzalez, 26, a former Fresno County county corrections officer, was sentenced to seven months in jail after being convicted of engaging in sexual acts with a male inmate.
Another female prison guard, Karen Payton, 47, of North Carolina, was fired and charged in October 2021 for allegedly engaging in a sex act with a male inmate.
You can follow Ethan Letkeman on Twitter at @EthanLetkeman.
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