Sex Assault at Shiprock Detention Center: Ex-Officer Sylvester Bruce Gets 1 Year, 1 Day Behind Bars

Sex Assault at Shiprock Detention Center: Ex-Officer Sylvester Bruce Gets 1 Year, 1 Day Behind Bars

A former corrections officer at the Navajo Nation’s Shiprock Detention Center has been sentenced to 1 year and 1 day in federal prison for sexually assaulting an inmate during the summer and fall of 2010.

Sylvester Bruce, 45, pleaded guilty in July 2012 to violating the victim’s civil rights when he touched her breasts against her will. He also pleaded guilty to making material false statements to the FBI when he denied taking pictures of inmates inside the cells of the SDC.

According to court documents, Bruce repeatedly placed his hands under the victim’s shirt and bra and grabbed her breasts, knowing she did not consent to his actions. The assaults took place in areas of the jail that did not have surveillance cameras.

Bruce also admitted to lying to the FBI when he denied taking pictures of inmates in their cells, acknowledging that he had, in fact, photographed two female inmates asleep on a bed in their cell.

‘Every person in official custody has the right to bodily integrity, and namely to be free from sexual assaults by corrections officers,’ said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division.

‘The Justice will continue to vigorously prosecute these serious crimes,’ Perez added.

‘Every person in lock-up, regardless of the charge or crime of conviction, is entitled to be safe and certainly should never be victimized by the law enforcement officers responsible for guarding them,’ said Kenneth J. Gonzales, U.S. Attorney for the District of New Mexico.

‘I commend the victim in this case for having the courage to step forward and assert her right to be free of sexual abuse, and for trusting the government to protect her,’ Gonzales said.

This case was investigated by the Farmington Resident Agency of the Albuquerque Division of the FBI and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Baker for the District of New Mexico and Fara Gold of the Civil Rights Division.

Bruce will never serve in law enforcement again and will submit to federal and state sex offender registration requirements following his release from prison.

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