2 Paulding County jailers arrested on sexual assault charges

PAULDING COUNTY, Ga. — Two men who worked at the Paulding County Sheriff’s Office jail are facing multiple charges after several female inmates came forward with sexual assault allegations.

Authorities said a female inmate came forward on May 12 and accused 30-year-old LaDarius Jones and 22-year-old Lucas Mays of inappropriate touching. When the jailers came back to work on May 14, sheriff’s office officials said the two were immediately placed on routine paid administrative leave.

Because the allegations involved potential criminal activity with sworn jailers, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation was called in to conduct the criminal investigation.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

During the investigation, two more female inmates came forward on May 20 with similar allegations against Jones and Mays, authorities said.

TRENDING STORIES:

• SC school bus driver says kindergartners’ curiosity helped stop armed hijacking
• Mariska Hargitay surprises girl who fought back against attempted kidnapping
• ‘Their own language is confusing:’ District votes against adopting Critical Race Theory

As a result of the investigation, combined with video evidence that was taken at the jail, Jones and Mays were immediately terminated and arrested.

Jones and Mays were each charged with three counts of sexual assault and violation of oath of office.

“It disgusts me that two of our jailers would betray the trust that our inmates and the public have in us. We are sworn to uphold the law, and I will not stand for anyone, even if they are one of our deputies or jailers, to violate the law and the trust of the community,” said Paulding County Sheriff Gary Gulledge.

[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]

Detention officer accused of smuggling drugs into North Carolina jail (NCD)

Cox Media Group