Charles Cravens, a sheriff in Tennessee, pleaded guilty to federal civil rights charges after being accused of using his position to have sex with jail inmates.
Cravens, who works for the Fentress County Sheriff, pleaded guilty to three counts of honest services fraud and one count of deprivation of rights under color of law on Thursday, April 20,
According to court documents, Cravens, who resigned last week, is accused of summoning a female inmate to his office in July 2016 and having unprotected sex with her.
Cravens is also accused of discussing having sex with the same inmate as well as another in August 2016. The three allegedly formulated a plan to leave the jail together, and authorities say Cravens drove them to a vacant trailer where they engaged in unprotected sex.
Via WKRN:
The federal government says Cravens maintained a sexual relationship with these inmates for several months until they were released from jail. The most recent release was in February 2017.
The investigation reportedly also revealed Cravens drove a third inmate out of Fentress County to visit a relative this past February and, on the way back to jail, raised the subject of sex. The two then had unprotected sex inside his vehicle. Cravens is accused of sleeping with this inmate on at least one other occasion.
According to authorities, Cravens used his position to provide additional benefits to these inmates in exchange for their sexual relationships, including being transported personally by the sheriff from the jail to visit relatives, being allowed to go outside to smoke cigarettes, and providing money to relatives of the inmates to deposit into their jail commissary accounts.
If convicted, Cravens faces 20 years in prison for each count of honest services fraud and up to one year in prison on the civil rights charge.
