After resigning in lieu of termination earlier this month, a Hall County jailer was charged with having improper sexual contact with an inmate.
David Lee Rivera, 21, was arrested Friday by the GBI on counts of violation of oath and improper sexual contact, the Hall County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release. He resigned from the sheriff’s office Aug. 19.
The sheriff’s office asked the GBI to investigate after jail supervisors suspected that Rivera had sexual contact with a woman who was being held at the jail, the release said. No other details on the accusation were provided.
In the release, Sheriff Gerald Couch provided a statement that said, “Actions of this type cannot and will not be tolerated, nor will I hesitate to request a criminal investigation by the GBI into such matters. Most of our employees do a tremendous job under often difficult conditions. In this case, the tenacity of the jail supervisory staff helped resolve this matter very quickly.”
In an emailed statement, GBI spokeswoman Nelly Miles said, “Outside of what the Hall County Sheriff’s Office released, we don’t have any additional details to release at this time.”
cording to Georgia Peace Officers Safety and Training Council records, Rivera joined the sheriff’s office in August 2018 and completed his academy training four months later. He had no disciplinary history on his record.
Credit: Georgia Peace Officers Safety and Training Council
Credit: Georgia Peace Officers Safety and Training Council
As of Friday afternoon, Rivera remained in jail on a $11,400 bond, records show.
— AJC data specialist Jennifer Peebles contributed to this article.
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