A 27-year-old Iowa prison employee is arrested after she had sex with a 29-year-old inmate “a number of times,” including in a utility room and recreation yard
- Kayla Bergom, 27, faces three counts of sexual misconduct and six years in prison
- She is accused of having sex with an unidentified male inmate, 29, on a number of occasions between September 2020 and April 2021
- The two are accused of having sex at least once in a utility room and twice in the prison recreation yard
- Bergom had worked for the prison for three years prior to her resignation and arrest
- The interactions between staff and inmates are believed to take place directly in the prison
A worker at an Iowa prison has been arrested after she allegedly had sex with an inmate multiple times in a seven-month period.
Kayla Bergom, 27, faces three counts of sexual misconduct for engaging in sexual activity with the unidentified inmate, 29, while working at the Tama County Jail.
The affair happened between September 2020 and April 2021, and they had sex at least once in a utility room and at least twice in the recreation yard, The Gazette reported.
Tama County Sheriff Dennis Kucera told The Gazette Bergom worked for the prison for three years prior to her resignation and was charged in May.
Her trial is scheduled to take place on August 12. The former prison employee, who pleads not guilty, faces up to six years in prison.
Kayla Bergom, 27, faces up to three counts of sexual misconduct for having a seven-month affair with a Tama County prison inmate between September 2020 and April 2021. She faces up to six years in prison if found guilty
It’s unclear if the inmate is still behind bars, but The Gazette reported that Bergom had sex with him multiple times between September 2020 and April 2021 while he was an inmate.
“Federal law makes it illegal for prison guards to have sex with inmates. This is because detainees cannot legally give consent,” according to nonprofit think tank Interrogating Justice.
“If a prison guard has sex with an incarcerated person, the prison guard can face up to 15 years in prison,” he added.
The investigation was conducted by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation after a county official filed a complaint. It was then completed in March.
Tama County Jail is a small facility that can only hold up to 30 inmates, who are serving short sentences of up to a year, according to Templeton1.org.
Interactions between staff and inmates are believed to be direct, and the prison has medical, laundry, and kitchen services.
The former prison employee and inmate are believed to have had sex in one of the Pirson’s utility closets and leisure yard. Pictured: Tama County Jail in Iowa
Meanwhile, earlier this month, Alabama inmate Casey White was charged with the murder of his lover Vicky White, the prison warden, after she helped him escape from prison, and the couple were on the run for 11 days before it was caught.
Casey, 38, and the jailer staged a well-planned escape from a prison in Florence, Alabama on April 29 for what she falsely claimed was a mental health investigation. The pair then traded vehicles and used disguises as they made it through three states.
The couple had been on the run for 11 days when Vicky White, 56, was shot dead after a police chase in Evansville, Indiana. Authorities said at the time she shot herself in the head. Casey was arrested immediately after the May 9 chase.