Sex crimes behind bars

Law enforcement’s treatment of the public has been heavily scrutinized across the country for the past year, and Butte County has had its share of police shootings and allegations of brutality. Once again, it’s in the spotlight. This time, the case involves a deputy at the jail who allegedly exposed himself to a female inmate and fondled her against her will. The sheriff acted quickly, immediately opening an investigation that led to criminal charges and reforms.

About a year ago, the Butte County Sheriff’s Office got word that Timothy Hill, a 27-year-old correctional deputy, may have been acting inappropriately with one of the female inmates, said District Attorney Mike Ramsey. The day the investigation was launched, Hill resigned from his post. And almost 11 months later to the day, charges were filed against him for indecent exposure, sexual activity with an inmate and sexual battery.

“Information came from an inmate that he was exposing himself to her on one occasion and on another occasion was engaged in, essentially, a hugging fest with her,” Ramsey explained by phone. “It was a serious crime, but not a rape. He was [allegedly] groping her over her clothes.”

In the time between the allegations and charges against Hill, which were filed June 25, much has transpired. First, Hill resigned from his job. “That precluded any further [administrative] investigation,” explained Sheriff Kory Honea. “You can’t discipline or terminate someone if they’re no longer an employee.”

Then, Honea said during a recent phone interview, the incident prompted some changes at the Butte County Jail, including added security cameras and anti-prison-rape training. Honea said he feels confident that his office’s reaction to the allegations sent a strong message to the rest of his staff—and the public—that such behavior is unacceptable.

Honea couldn’t elaborate on the details about the victim or where the alleged incidents occurred, but he did say that they prompted the addition of two surveillance cameras in the jail that cover previously unrecorded areas.

In addition, he said all of the jail’s staff members—including volunteers—were required to undergo training during the past year. The training was provided as part of the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA), passed in 2003.

“I do think it’s helpful,” Honea said of the training. “It’s certainly a significant topic, and an important one to train staff on and be on guard against. I think it will certainly help increase the level of professionalism within the organization.”

Data from the U.S. Department of Justice, collected as part of PREA, indicates that in 2008-09, there were 14,334 male and 1,485 female inmate victims of sexual misconduct by jail and prison staff in the United States. The vast majority of those incidents were heterosexual and some of them were consensual.

That survey also indicated that 2.7 percent of inmates at Butte County Jail reported being the victims of sexual misconduct by staff that year (compared with 3.1 percent nationally). An additional .07 percent reported being victimized by another inmate. Honea and Ramsey both said, however, that this is the first case they’re aware of being reported at the local jail. In Butte County, on any given day there are about 95 female inmates and upward of 500 male inmates. The correctional staff also is diverse, consisting of 58 male and 16 female deputies.

“It’s always disappointing when you have a staff member who violates our code of ethics and code of conduct and engages in conduct that is completely inappropriate,” Honea said. “But we launched the investigation immediately upon learning about it, and submitted the case to prosecution. That demonstrates that this kind of conduct will not be tolerated.”

Hill is scheduled for arraignment Aug. 31.