AUBURN – Richard Adams sat in the front row of the courtroom with his head down and his hands clasped.

He did not look at the row of inmates sitting on a bench next to him, also waiting to enter pleas of guilty or not guilty. He did not look at his former co-workers, the two jail guards sitting on either side of the inmates.

He simply sat there and waited until it was his turn to go before Justice Thomas E. Delahanty II and enter his plea of not guilty to the charge of gross sexual assault.

A former full-time jail guard at Androscoggin County Jail, Adams, 30, is accused of having a female inmate perform oral sex on him while he was on duty.

The 25-year-old inmate came forward with the allegations in October, and Adams was placed on administrative leave.

If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison.

By Maine law, sex between a guard and inmate is considered the equivalent of rape because of the “supervisory or disciplinary authority” that a corrections officer has over a prisoner. That means that it is a crime for anyone in authority at a jail or prison to have sex with an inmate regardless of whether the prisoner consents.

In an attempt to urge the judge to let Adams go without bail, his lawyer, Richard Berne, told the court that Adams was born and raised in Auburn.

Delahanty agreed to release him on personal recognizance, which means that he didn’t have to post bail.

The alleged victim had been serving time for assaulting a woman in Lewiston. Maine State Police investigated the case while the Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office conducted an internal review.

Several local lieutenants, detectives and officers are on the witness list.

lchmelecki@sunjournal.com

Copy the Story Link