A prisoner transport officer was arrested in Stockton, California, on charges related to the alleged sexual assault of multiple female inmates, the Justice Department announced Friday.
Eric Scott Kindley, 49, is accused of deprivation of rights under the color of law, including aggravated sexual abuse and use of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. He remains in a Sacramento jail but will likely be extradited to Arizona sometime this week.
Kindley operates Special Operations Group 6, a contract company responsible for the transport of inmates with out-of-state warrants. According to a probable cause affidavit, during at least three transports of female prisoners this year, Kindley engaged in inappropriate and illegal behavior, including the sexual assault of at least two of the inmates.
The first victim, who was being transported from California to Arizona on Jan. 26, said while she was handcuffed and shackled, Kindley sexually penetrated her against her will and forced her to perform oral sex on him. Kindley also used his cell phone to take pictures of the woman’s genitals.
Furthermore, Kindley told the woman that if she told anyone about the assault, he would “blow [her] brains out” but that nobody would believe her anyway. Kindley, who falsely claimed he was a federal agent, also bragged to the woman about sexually assaulting other female inmates.
The assault was reported by the inmate upon her arrival at the Arizona detention facility. The victim expressed to authorities constant fear throughout the transportation that she was going to be killed by Kindley.
Documents show that three days later, on Jan. 29, Kindley was transporting a different female inmate from Alabama to Arizona when another sexual assault occurred.
According to the second victim, Kindley engaged in sexually explicit and inappropriate conversations with the inmate, then stopped at what was described as a “remote location” on the pretense of a bathroom break. However, when the inmate got out of the van, Kindley allegedly pushed her against the vehicle and digitally penetrated her against her will.
Kindley again bragged to the inmate that he had “done this before and nothing’s happened.” Kindley also told the second victim that “what happens in the [transport] van, stays in the [transport] van.”
During the third reported incident, Kindley was tasked with transporting a female inmate from Mississippi to New Mexico on May 19. During that transport, the victim said that as soon as they left the Mississippi jail, Kindley began making sexually explicit and inappropriate comments toward her.
During the conversation, Kindley asked the victim if she had been raped in the past and when she said yes, he reacted by saying she had been “used up” but insisted he would perform oral sex on her. The victim, however, informed Kindley that she was menstruating at the time. He then took her to a remote location for a bathroom break and, as she was urinating, checked her underwear for blood to ensure that she was not lying about menstruating.
Kindley then bragged again to the third victim about the number of women he had sexually assaulted in the past, allegedly saying, “All I do is go around and fuck bad bitches.”
Kindley also told the third victim that he was a federal agent, then retrieved his handgun, removed the magazine, and ejected the bullets, stating a purpose for each bullet. The victim said Kindley stated he would not hesitate to shoot her.
Upon arrival at the New Mexico jail, the third victim reported Kindley’s behavior to authorities. The victim also said that when Kindley arrive at the jail in Mississippi, she recognized him from a previous transport two years prior. The woman said she was fearful at the sight of Kindley, noting that during the previous transport he had then too made sexually explicit and inappropriate comments aimed at her, in the presence of other inmates, all of which were male.
The investigation is ongoing, and anyone with any additional information is asked to contact the Phoenix Division of the FBI at (623) 466-1999 or email the Civil Rights Division at the Department of Justice at Prisoner.Transfer@usdoj.gov.
The post Prisoner transport officer arrested for sexual assault of female inmates appeared first on Guns.com.