Update: (1:16 p.m.) The guilty plea was withdrawn according to court records.
MOUNT VERNON — Former Knox County Jail deputy Jason Hess, 32, Howard, is scheduled to enter a guilty plea today at a Knox County Common Pleas Court hearing.
Hess reportedly engaged in sexual activities with two female inmates while he was a deputy at the jail. According to the Ohio Revised Code, an employee of the jail should not engage in sex with an incarcerated person because the inmate’s ability to consent is under duress due to the employee’s authority over them.
The Knox County Sheriff’s Office began an investigation into Hess on April 18, 2018, after an inmate reported that Hess exposed himself to her and gave her his phone number. An April 30 disciplinary hearing resulted in Hess’s resignation.
It was confirmed that Hess gave out his number to an inmate, violating the jail’s employee handbook.
The jail then requested the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) to conduct an independent investigation into Hess once the complaint was confirmed, according to Shaffer. Near the end of 2018, BCI concluded the investigation and sent a file to the Knox County Prosecutor’s Office for consideration of charges, Prosecuting Attorney Chip McConville previously told the News.
Hess was indicted Jan. 28, 2019, by the grand jury. The charges against Hess dated back to 2015, according to the indictment documents. The earliest recorded incident was dated Aug. 8, 2015, where Hess reportedly expose himself to an inmate while on duty.
The alleged incidents came to the sheriff’s office’s attention via the jail’s Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) phone system, according to McConville.
PREA was signed into law in 2003 to prevent and prosecute sexual assaults in federal and state detention facilities. Anyone can report an incident of sexual abuse or harassment via the hotline, including inmates, staff or third parties.
When asked about how the jail otherwise regulates itself from staff-inmate abuse, Shaffer responded that inmates have access to a voice message system with a detective; jail staff does not have access to the system.
Shaffer also submitted that the jail’s current technology more accurately tracks staff movement while they are with inmates. The technology is provided by Guardian RFID, a trademark under Codex Corporation that specializes in inmate tracking and management technology.
