Rogeric Hankins, Sexually Assaulting Pretrial Detainee, Missouri 2022

Former Prisoner Transport Officer Sentenced to Nine Years for Sexually Assaulting Pretrial Detainee

A former private prisoner transport officer was sentenced in federal court in the Western District of Missouri to nine years in federal prison to be followed by three years of supervised release for violating a female pretrial detainee’s civil rights by sexually assaulting her.

Defendant: Rogeric Hankins, 37

Criminal Charges: Violating a female pretrial detainee’s civil rights by sexually assaulting her

City and State: Western District of Missouri, Missouri

Exact Date: April 3, 2020

Sentence or Outcome: Nine years in federal prison to be followed by three years of supervised release

Rogeric Hankins, a former private prisoner transport officer for Inmate Services Corporation, was sentenced in federal court in the Western District of Missouri to nine years in federal prison to be followed by three years of supervised release for violating a female pretrial detainee’s civil rights by sexually assaulting her.

According to the plea agreement, at the time of the offense, Hankins worked as a private prisoner transport officer for Inmate Services Corporation. As a private prisoner transport officer, Hankins performed the government function of picking up individuals who were arrested on out-of-state warrants and transporting those individuals back to the jurisdictions that issued the warrants.

The victim, a female pretrial detainee, was being transported from a jail in Olympia, Washington to a jail in St. Paul, Minnesota. On April 3, 2020, before arriving in Minnesota, Hankins stopped the transport van at a rest stop in Joplin, Missouri. Hankins brought the victim into the rest stop to use the bathroom. After the victim used the women’s bathroom, Hankins led her into the men’s bathroom, and told her to go into the stall furthest from the door.

Once inside the stall, Hankins began to try to pull the victim’s shirt up. The victim resisted and told Hankins to stop. In response, Hankins told the victim to be quiet and made her perform a sexual act on him. Hankins then bent the victim over a toilet seat and raped her.

“The defendant sexually abused and violently assaulted a woman in his custody, exploiting his authority and depriving this survivor of her constitutional right to bodily integrity,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.

“This sentence sends a clear message that the Justice Department is committed to protecting victims of sexual violence carried out at the hands of any and all law enforcement officials. The privatization of positions in law enforcement does not change the fact that these individuals can and must be held accountable when they violate our federal civil rights laws,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke.

The FBI Minneapolis Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office. Trial Attorney Laura Gilson and former Special Litigation Counsel Fara Gold of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section prosecuted this case, with assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Missouri.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/former-private-prisoner-transport-officer-sentenced-nine-years-sexually-assaulting-pretrial