A warrant has been issued for the arrest of a kitchen staff member at the Lewis County Jail accused of sexually assaulting an inmate.
The defendant, Teresa M. Russell, was charged with second-degree custodial misconduct, a gross misdemeanor, on Sept. 17 for allegedly sexually assaulting and harassing an inmate employed in the kitchen.
The victim reported multiple incidents involving Russell to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office on July 12. When contacted by law enforcement, Russell denied the allegations and reportedly offered to take a polygraph exam to prove she was telling the truth. A polygraph was conducted on Aug. 4 and she did not pass, according to court documents.
According to the report from the polygraph examiner, Russell had a “significant physiological response” when answering “no” to two questions directly related to the inmate’s allegations.
She was issued a court summons to appear for a preliminary hearing in Lewis County District Court on Oct. 15 but did not appear, and the judge issued a $5,100 warrant for Russell’s arrest.
Russell was employed at the Lewis County Jail via a contract with Summit, a private company that provides food services to correctional facilities nationwide.
Summit did not respond to The Chronicle’s inquiry about Russell’s employment status.
A couple days after the victim reported the sexual assault in July, 19 inmates in the victim's cell block initiated a hunger strike to protest ongoing problems in the kitchen. The inmates claimed Summit repeatedly fed them food that is still partially-frozen or not fit for human consumption and that staff in charge of the kitchen have repeatedly neglected to meet inmates’ medical and religious dietary needs.
The hunger strike ended within a few days, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office, but inmates say the conditions at the jail have not improved.
At the time of the hunger strike, a spokesperson for the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office stated the department would look into changing food service providers for the jail, but has not yet announced a decision.
Summit did not respond to The Chronicle’s request for comment.
