RELATED: Fired officer accused of sex with inmate has hearing continued
Judge Greg Stephens said Newell faces five years in prison and a $10,000 fine and must register as a Tier III sex offender. Newell will be sentenced on May 17.
Stephens ordered a pre-sentence investigation to review the facts in the case, but he said a 24-month prison sentence is the “likely” starting point.
Newell, 28, a mother of four from Monroe, was arrested Nov. 27, 2017 after a day-long investigation by the sheriff’s office. She was indicted in December on two counts of sexual battery and illegal conveyance into a detention facility for allegedly having sex with a male inmate at the Hanover Street corrections facility.
For her guilty plea, one count of sexual battery and illegal conveyance were dismissed, Stephens said. She is free on $5,000 bond.
Allen had entered a not guilty plea on Newell’s behalf prior to today’s hearing. This news agency was the only one in the courtroom.
Newell, who was employed as a corrections officer for 18 months, is accused of having sex with an inmate between Oct. 14 and Nov. 24. She is also accused of delivering a white iPhone to the inmate while he was in jail.
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