Floyd County Jail renews efforts against sexual assault

The Latest Local News from the Rome News

The conviction of a Silver Creek man in a case of sexual assault on an inmate at the Floyd County Jail is seen by officials as a new stand against predatory behavior at the facility.

Jail Administrator Bob Sapp said the successful prosecution of Charles Ladell Akins, 35, is evidence of the how the Floyd County Sheriff’s Office approaches such acts against inmates.

“Hopefully his conviction and forthcoming sentence will send out a strong message to anyone who would commit predatory acts within the Floyd County Jail that we will not tolerate predatory behavior of any kind and intend to investigate and prosecute each instance to the fullest extent of the law,” Sapp said in a statement.

Akins was convicted of false imprisonment, terroristic threats and acts, possession of drugs by an inmate, sexual battery and one count of aggravated sodomy in Floyd County Superior Court on Wednesday.

The charges stem from an incident that happened in the two men’s cell on May 30, 2014, after a lockdown.

According to jail officials, Akins climbed into the 23-year-old victim’s bed and grabbed him, choking him and threatening to hurt him if he cried out or resisted.

The victim confided in a family member by phone later that day. That person then reported the assault to the sheriff’s office.

Akins’ sentencing is scheduled for May 5 following a pre-sentence investigation.

He could potentially be sentenced to life, Sapp said.

“People don’t really hear about it, and it’s not a pretty business, but if it was someone you care about, you wouldn’t want it to happen to them,” Sapp said.

“We have a legal obligation and duty to protect inmates held within the jail’s walls, just as we do for our citizens who live outside the jail’s walls, in the free world,” Chief Deputy Tom Caldwell said in a statement.

Sapp said standard operating procedures in the jail include protocols that make security of inmates an important duty for deputies.

Precautions include face-to-face roll call and having personnel in areas where they are immediately available for assistance and video monitoring.

This incident that led to Akins’ conviction happened in a maximum security area of the jail, according to Sapp, and the victim was being held on a probation violation.

“Those are held mostly in maximum security because they are being held for another agency and cannot bond out,” Sapp said.

No other active cases of sexual assault are being investigated at the jail, according to Sapp.

The victim has been boarded out to another facility and is no longer being held at the Floyd County Jail.

Source: Rome News

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