LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A probation officer in Clark County, Ind. is facing charges after being accused of having sex with inmates.
According to arrest documents, Gerald Kopp, a pretrial services officer, was working as a culinary instructor in the Clark Co. jail at the time of the incidents.
The Clark Co. Sheriff's Office says they received a tip that multiple inmates had engaged in sexual activity with a probation officer working in the jail.
Kopp taught culinary classes at the jail after hours, and that's when the alleged sexual activities happened. He allegedly had sex with two different people in separate incidents last October. They also found that sexual devices and earphones were used.
"This investigation revealed that Mr. Kopp had allegedly had sex with two inmates in the Clark Co. jail on two separate occasions in a room that was set aside for doing pretrial assessments in the jail," Clark Co. prosecutor Jeremy Mull said.
While Mull says the sex was consensual, in this case, it was still illegal.
"Although in some senses that's a consensual relationship, legally it's a matter of speaking. You can't give consent because there's that power imbalance between the service provider and the inmate and so therefore it's always a felony," Mull explained.
Kopp is being charged with four counts of Sexual Misconduct and four counts of Trafficking Contraband with an Inmate. With six years per felony, four of them charged and each of the misdemeanors carrying at least one year, Kopp could face more than 20 years behind bars.
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