Guard Had Sexual Contact With Inmate At Women's Prison: Police

SHAKOPEE, MN — A corrections officer is accused of having sexual contact with an inmate at the women's Minnesota Correctional Facility in Shakopee. Jeffrey Clair Anderson, 50, of Lakeville has been charged with one count of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct, a crime which covers state employees having sexual contact at a prison.

Consent cannot be defense in this case.

A woman said when she was an inmate at the Shakopee prison in the summer of 2017, Anderson began flirting with her and increasing visits to the living area where she was housed, according to authorities.

On four to six occasions, Anderson visited the woman's room during night rounds. According to the criminal complaint, he would stop outside her door and ask her to lift up her shirt. During other visits, he would touch her inappropriately, according to authorities.

Searches of email and media accounts showed that Anderson sent the woman sexually explicit texts and photos as early as Dec. 6, 2017, which was shortly after she was released from prison, according to investigators.

The woman said she and Anderson engaged in a sexual relationship after she left prison and that he came to Florida to visit her, the complaint states.

The Minnesota Department of Corrections has policies governing the "personal code of conduct of employees," which requires disclosure of any personal contact with inmates during or after their release.

Staff members cannot communicate with offenders after their release without prior authorization. Even if a staff member has inadvertent communication, like seeing an ex-inmate at the grocery store, that staff member must report it.

Anderson has never documented or reported any contact with the woman in the case, police said.