NASHVILLE, Tenn — A Maury County corrections officer has been charged with obstructing an investigation into allegations that he sexually abused an inmate in his custody, the United States Attorney Middle Tennessee District’s Office announced on Monday.
James Stewart Thomas, 31, of Columbia, Tenn., was arrested on Monday after he was indicted last week by a federal grand jury on one count of falsification of records. He was set to appear before a U.S. Magistrate Judge Monday afternoon.
According to the indictment, Thomas wrote an official report in which he lied that he had reported to two Maury County jail supervisors that an inmate made sexual advances to him, while the inmate was in his custody.
The District Attorney's office said the report was made in response to allegations that Thomas had nonconsensual sexual contact with a woman in his custody.
The report also falsely claimed that those two supervisors both advised him not to write a report about the alleged sexual advances by the inmate, and the report omitted that he had a sexual relationship with the inmate after the inmate’s release from the jail.
If convicted, Thomas faces a sentence of up to 20 years in prison.