Former Maury County corrections officer sentenced for obstructing investigation into sexual misconduct allegations
MAURY COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — A former corrections officer for the Maury County Jail was sentenced last week to more than a year in prison for obstruction of justice.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), a federal jury previously convicted James Stewart Justice — formerly known as James Stewart Thomas — of falsifying a record in a federal civil rights investigation for a report he wrote regarding allegations he had sexually abused an inmate in his custody.
On Friday, March 15, officials said Justice was sentenced to 15 months in prison, followed by 12 months of supervised release.
“Corrections officers are entrusted with immense power over the inmates in their care. The vast majority of them carry out their important jobs with honor and integrity,” U.S. Attorney Henry C. Leventis for the Middle District of Tennessee said in a statement released on Monday, March 18. “This prosecution, and the sentence imposed last week, however, should serve as a reminder that we will not hesitate to hold corrections officers accountable when they violate the law and the public trust.”
“This defendant abused his authority as a corrections officer to cover up allegations of sexual misconduct,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division. “Law enforcement officers who oversee our jails and prisons have a responsibility to protect people in their custody. Officers must treat allegations of sexual misconduct seriously and document them carefully. We will continue holding officers accountable when they abuse their position of power to cover up their unlawful conduct.”
“This sentence is the result of relentless efforts by the FBI to bring to justice corrections personnel who abuse their position of trust,” stated Special Agent in Charge Douglas S. DePodesta of the FBI Memphis field office. “The FBI will continue to work with our partners to ensure the physical safety and civil rights of all individuals and ensure that any public servant who abuses their authority is held accountable.”
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According to court documents, Justice wrote an official report for the Maury County Jail in response to allegations he had sexually abused an inmate he guarded in a hospital room while the inmate recovered from major surgery.
In his report, officials said Justice falsely claimed he told two Maury County Jail supervisors that an inmate had made sexual advances toward him while in his custody at the hospital, falsely claimed both supervisors advised him not to write a report about the inmate’s alleged sexual advances, and omitted a claim he later made to criminal investigators about having a sexual relationship with the inmate following the inmate’s release from custody.
The FBI’s Memphis field office and Nashville resident agency investigated the case, which was reportedly prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda J. Klopf for the Middle District of Tennessee and Trial Attorney Kyle Boynton of the Civil Rights Division.
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