Douglas County correctional officer accused of sexual relationship with inmate

The sheriff’s office said all new hires undergo a background check that includes a psychological evaluation, polygraph test, reference checks, criminal history review, interviews, and verification of personal and work history.

Joe had his first court appearance Wednesday morning. He’s being held without bond, according to online records.

“Sheriff Tim Pounds directed his own investigators to handle the case and pursue prosecution, sending a clear message to all employees that this type of conduct will not be tolerated under any circumstances,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.

The arrest comes just months after a woman filed a lawsuit alleging a Douglas jailer sexually assaulted and impregnated her when she was an inmate. The woman, identified only as Jane Doe, said she “suffered unimaginable humiliation, harassment, sexual abuse and torture at the hands of several corrections officers” during her time behind bars last year, according to the lawsuit.

Pounds and several officers were named in that lawsuit, including former Officer Jayavierre Shaidray Johnson, who was fired in December after an internal investigation by the sheriff’s office into his “inappropriate conduct” with an inmate, the agency previously said.

Johnson’s attorney has said the accusations are “completely false.” He noted the two had a monthslong relationship after the woman’s release from jail.