A former female correctional officer accused of having indecent contact with two male inmates in 1999 and 2000 had "numerous sexual encounters" with other inmates before there was a law prohibiting such conduct, prosecutors claimed in court papers.
Montgomery County, Pa., Assistant District Attorney Thomas W. McGoldrick made the allegation in court documents seeking a judge's permission to allow a jury to hear testimony about Eileen Mayfield's alleged contact with other inmates. A similar request was made by McGoldrick last year before the start of Mayfield's first trial. However, a judge denied that request at that time. Mayfield's first trial ended in a mistrial when the jury couldn't reach a verdict; prosecutors have vowed to retry the Norristown woman.

"At retrial, the commonwealth intends to introduce evidence that (Mayfield) had numerous sexual encounters with inmates of the Montgomery County Correctional Facility...," Mc-Goldrick wrote, explaining the alleged contact occurred before a state law banning institutional sexual assault went into effect on Feb. 19, 1999.

Mayfield is only accused of having indecent contact with two inmates after that law became effective.

McGoldrick argued that evidence of Mayfield's alleged previous contact with other inmates is necessary for a jury to hear in order to complete the story of the crimes on trial. McGoldrick argued that although his previous request to admit such evidence of alleged "prior bad acts" was denied, the request should be approved this time given the nature of Mayfield's defense strategy during her first trial.

During her trial last year, Mayfield and her former lawyer, Jeffrey Allen Sigman, implied that the two inmates fabricated their claims against Mayfield. The defense strategy also included the implication that security inside the Eagleville jail made it impossible for such contact to have occurred between Mayfield and the inmates without being seen by other prison officials.
 
Prosecutors maintained Mayfield committed a crime against the code of order in the prison.

Mayfield, who had been a correctional officer at the jail for 18 years before she was arrested, did not testify during the trial. She remains free on bail.

Sigman also argued that investigators went on a "witch hunt" for Mayfield in retribution for her filing a sexual harassment claim against a prison official in August 2000. The criminal charges were filed against Mayfield three months later.