Crime

Bibb sheriff’s deputy accused of sexual contact with inmate, allowing in-jail drug sales

Photo illustration of Bibb County jail.
Photo illustration of Bibb County jail. / Telegraph archives

A Bibb County sheriff’s deputy was arrested and jailed Tuesday on allegations that he had sexual contact with a female inmate at the county jail and that he allowed her to sell drugs inside the Oglethorpe Street lockup.

According to arrest warrants, the deputy, Arsenio Jamal King, 34, let a female inmate peddle synthetic cannabinoids or “K2” or “spice,” and had a relationship with the inmate “that was sexual in nature.”

“The accused also made statements that he passed around ‘kites’ (notes) in the jail for inmates to enable their communication,” the warrants allege. “In a recorded jail call it was also mentioned there was a (sexual) encounter where King touched” the inmate’s butt and where the inmate touched King’s penis.

The warrants further state that King, a deputy since 2015, admitted he allowed the female inmate to sell drugs “in the hopes of a sexual encounter” with the inmate.

More specifically, the charges against King are: Sexual contact with an individual in custody; attempt or conspiracy to violate the Georgia Controlled Substance Act; and violation of oath of office.

It was not immediately clear how or when the allegations came to light.

The female inmate in the case, who had been jailed in connection with the shooting of a man in summer 2020, was released on bond sometime last month, her attorney told The Telegraph on Wednesday.

King, meanwhile, was being held without bond pending an initial appearance before a magistrate.

In a statement, sheriff’s officials said King, who was recently transferred to the department’s Patrol Division, was working in the jail’s Corrections Division when the alleged crimes occurred — sometime between January and April.

The statement said the deputy had been placed on administrative leave pending an internal investigation.

This story was originally published December 21, 2022 at 11:34 AM.

Joe Kovac Jr.
The Telegraph
Joe Kovac Jr. writes about local news and features for The Telegraph, with an eye for human-interest stories. Joe is a Warner Robins native and graduate of Warner Robins High. He joined the Telegraph in 1991 after graduating from the University of Georgia. As a Pulliam Fellowship recipient in 1991, Joe worked for the Indianapolis News. His stories have appeared in the Washington Post, the Seattle Times and Atlanta Magazine. He has been a Livingston Award finalist and won numerous Georgia Press Association and Georgia Associated Press awards.
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