Tammy Stables Battaglia
Detroit Free Press
DETROIT — An Oakland County Jail corrections officer vehemently denies having sexual contact with an inmate in a broom closet earlier this summer, his lawyer said Monday.
Deputy Garry Jackson, 52, of Rochester Hills did not speak, except for offering his address when asked, as he was arraigned on three counts of criminal sexual conduct.
Jackson was suspended last week from his job at the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office after the allegations were made, his lawyer Steve Vitale said after the hearing in 50th District Court in Pontiac.
“They’re bogus and I think when this is all done and you hear everything in court, he’ll be exonerated,” Vitale said. “He’s devastated right now. He’s been with the sheriff’s department for 29 years. And he’s just looking now to salvage his career and make sure nothing bad happens to him as a result of these false allegations.”
Oakland County Undersheriff Michael McCabe said the department is in the process of firing Jackson as a result of the investigation.
“The Sheriff’s Office abhors this conduct and has started the process to terminate Jackson,” McCabe said in a statement. “Jackson has brought dishonor to the badge and violated public trust.”
McCabe said the department began investigating Sept. 2 after inmates start talking about a sexual relationship between Jackson and the 24-year-old woman, who has been jailed since May 17 for retail fraud and a probation violation. She is to be released Nov. 5.
“The victim/inmate and all of the inmates in the housing unit were interviewed by the Sheriff’s Special Investigations Unit,” McCabe said. “The investigation revealed the acts were consensual, but under state law and department regulations, the acts are criminal as an inmate cannot give consent.”
The female inmate who reported having sexual contact with Jackson was not in the courtroom. Chief Assistant Prosecutor Paul Walton said earlier Monday that the incidents are alleged to have happened on or around Aug. 29. He declined to comment on the charges.
According to Vitale, the inmate said the incidents happened in a cellblock.
“It’s supposed to be a broom closet in a pod area — somewhere where there would be no cameras, somewhere where there would be no microphones, somewhere where very conveniently there would be no corroborating evidence,” Vitale said.
Unlike most defendants who are arrested on felony charges and are brought to court handcuffed by uniformed officers, Jackson arrived and left with two plainclothes Sheriff’s Office detective sergeants investigating the case. He also left with the pair, driving off in a county-issued silver Dodge Charger.
Judge Michael Martinez gave Jackson a $10,000 personal bond and ordered him not to have contact with the inmate. His preliminary examination is scheduled for Thursday.
Each felony charge carries a prison term of up to 15 years upon conviction.