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| Two prison workers face sex charges |
| By Portland Press Herald |
| Published: 07/21/2004 |
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Two female employees at the Maine Correctional Center in Windham face assault charges after being accused of having sex with prisoners at the facility. Authorities on Tuesday arrested a medical technician and a drug and alcohol counselor in connection with separate incidents at the prison during the past month. Each is charged with gross sexual assault for allegedly having sex with a prisoner. Even if the sex were consensual, it is illegal under state law because a prisoner's ability to refuse is compromised when they are incarcerated. "This is a question of employees crossing boundaries and being inappropriate," said Scott Burnheimer, superintendent of the Maine Correctional Center in Windham. "Any time there's sex with staff people, whether consensual or not, it's a felony." Such behavior can compromise an institution's security because the possibility of discipline and legal sanctions can give a prisoner power over a staff person, he said. Authorities charged April Archer, 37, of Westbrook, with five counts of gross sexual assault for allegedly having inappropriate sexual contact with a single prisoner on five separate occasions earlier this month. She also faces one charge of trafficking in prison contraband in connection with a medication, Burnheimer said. In another case, Bethany Bondenheim, 30, of South Paris, was charged with a single count of gross sexual assault for allegedly having sex with a prisoner Friday which was discovered by security staff. Both women were employees of contractors hired by the state to work in the prison, Burnheimer said. In both instances, the prisoners were called from their dorms to report to the areas where the women worked, he said. Archer was released on $1,040 bail and Bondenheim on $1,000 bail pending court appearances. |
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