Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more!
Florida Juvenile Jail Guard Allegedly Raped Teen Inmate, Said She'd 'Never See The Daylight Again'
Marcus Leon James said sex with the 17-year-old inmate was consensual, even though it still breaks state laws.
A Florida corrections officer allegedly raped a teenage girl at a juvenile jail in Orlando and threatened that she would "never see the daylight again" if she reported it, according to investigators.
Marcus Leon James, 26, was arrested Monday night after a teen at the Orange County Regional Juvenile Assessment and Detention Center sought medical attention following the alleged assault, according to a police report obtained by Oxygen.com.
James told investigators the incident with the 17-year-old inmate was consensual, according to WFTV 9 Orlando. But the age of consent in Florida is 18, and state law bars law-enforcement officers from any sexual contact with detainees.
The alleged assault occurred Sunday around 11 p.m., when James instructed the girl and another inmate to clean separate areas of the jail, and lured the victim into an office area, investigators said. Once he had her alone, James ordered the girl to her knees, slapped her, and forced her to perform oral sex on him, the teen told police. He then allegedly pulled her up by her hair, bent her over, pulled down her pants and raped her.
The ordeal, which lasted about two to five minutes, ended when James ejaculated inside the girl, she told investigators. After telling her to keep quiet, James brought her and the other inmate a McDouble hamburger from McDonalds, according to the police report.
Despite the threat, the teen reported the incident the next day, and officers with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office arrested James later that night following an interrogation, according to a police report.
James, who told investigators he had recently been treated for a sexually transmitted infection, professed his innocence, saying he stood in the doorway as the inmate cleaned the office and only had sex with her after she initiated, according to WFTV 9 Orlando. Police booked him on charges of sexual battery by a custodian on a person younger than 18 and sexual misconduct by a corrections officer.
James, who has worked as a corrections officer in the state for three-and-a-half years, told a judge at his bail hearing that his supervisor told him he’d could return to work once he was released, according to WFTV 9 Orlando.
"His exact words were, ‘We need bodies, so when it’s over with I’ma give you a call to come on back,'" James quoted his supervisor as saying, in an unsuccessful bid to be released on bail.
But the state’s Department of Juvenile Justice said it has already fired James.
“Upon learning of the allegations, DJJ immediately contacted law enforcement to ensure an investigation could begin without delay,” a spokeswoman for the department told Oxygen.com. “This behavior is inexcusable and disgusting, and it is our expectation that this staff person be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”
The spokeswoman did not immediately respond to questions regarding the supervisor's alleged comments to James.
The jail where the alleged assault took place recently made headlines after a brawl left five people injured April 22, including two staff members who were taken to the hospital, according to WESH Orlando.
[Photo: Orange County Sheriff's Office]
