
Oconee County Jail Deputy Dewayne Powers was fired for sending a Facebook friend request and texting a 23-year-old female inmate while she was still in jail.
Authorities in northeast Georgia say a jail deputy was fired and another resigned after they sent Facebook friend requests to an inmate while she was locked up in the county jail.

Oconee County Sheriff's Chief Deputy Lee Weems said Andrea Rogers resigned and "pretty much owned up to his portion of the thing pretty quickly" after an internal investigation revealed he sent a Facebook friend request to a female inmate.
Oconee County Jail Deputy Dewayne Powers was fired and Deputy Andrea Rogers resigned following an internal investigation that revealed both men had “inappropriate communications” with a 23-year-old female inmate.
Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Lee Weems said Monday the men sent Facebook friend requests to the woman while she was incarcerated in the jail, and Powers also sent a text message to the inmate’s phone. Additionally, both deputies engaged in face-to-face conversations of a sexual nature with the inmate, according to Weems.
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The allegations came to Sheriff Scott Berry’s attention on July 23, the day the inmate, whose name has not been released, was bonded out of jail. The woman told her boyfriend, who told the sheriff, Weems said.
The inmate, who was incarcerated on June 28, did not have access to her phone or a computer while she was in jail, but an examination of her computer showed the friend requests sent by the men, and an examination of her phone showed the text message, according to Weems’ report.
The sheriff fired Powers, while Rogers resigned following an August 3 hearing. Weems said Powers had 10 days to file an appeal, but he didn’t.
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“There was a difference in the level of conduct between the two,” Weems told the Athens Banner-Herald. “The one that resigned pretty much owned up to his portion of the thing pretty quickly.”
Weems said it is not fully known what exactly was said between the inmate and the two deputies, but during an interview with the two on July 24, they both admitted to having electronic contact with the woman.
“I don’t have any exact quotes from her … just conversations of a sexual nature,” Weems said. “There is no evidence of any actual physical contact having taken place, and such was adamantly denied by all parties involved.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Learn to use your brains, then worry about Facebook.
Yeah, what ever happened to going to a bar or club or even a mall to pick up chicks. Now it's facebook or text. People are really losing their sense of reality to virtual reality.
WTF are inmates doing on FB? They should be chain gang working on the County Farm.
I think the point is, the female inmate was ...an inmate...now of all the social outlets these guys have thye pick some skank in a orange county jumpsuit to try and "hook-up" with. Now, that's just "special."
thats a grey line there. The woman did not have access to facebook or her cellphone while in jail. I guess the problem is that she was bonded out, and not actually released. Obviously the 2 guys judgment is lacking, but once the woman is out of the klink she should be treated like a normal person.
“There was a difference in the level of conduct between the two,”..Ya Think.??? It's do as I say, not as "I" do. Always has been, always will be. Cops live by their own Laws, not the ones on the books.
Yeah...like sex NEVER happens between jailers and female inmates...
They just wanted to...help...with her rehabilitation...
Huh? I think you misunderstood the comment. He was saying there was a difference between how the two jailers acted when they got caught. That's why one was allowed to resign and the other got fired. "...between the two" didn't mean us and them.
And, apparently, these jaliers are living by our laws. That's why they both no longer have a job. At most, you and I would lose our jobs too if we did something like this to a coworker. What more do you want? I'm glad these dummies were caught too.
Workplace relationships - I get misty just thinkin' about it. Still, some guys are just too lazy to masturbate.
Am I the only that thinks that there really should have been a picture of the inmate shown? That way we could at least make fun of the guards if she was aesthetically challenged.
Scooter---I was hoping for a pic too...
Seriously, they got fired for sending a friend request to an inmate and sexting her? That's ridiculous!!! Comeon give them their jobs back, wtf!!!
you need to study the law. what a deputy , cop, whatever does with inmates is strictly forbidden because even with her consent, sexual conduct can lead to a lawsuit of millions of dollars. Does it happen? you betcha, but when they pull it out, they are risking their jobs, homes, wives/girlfriends if they have kid. They are "supposed" to be "professional". When u think with your Johnson, you are setting yourself up.
she's hotter than a two dollar pistol...tuff'r than a ten cent stake...cuter than a speckled pig in a red wagon...built like a brick out house...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7XnNFD6hUE&feature=related
THINKING with the wrong head will STOP you from getting fed! lmao rothfl ctfu
Okay, using FB to pick up chicks is bad enough. But to cruise Cell Bloc A to pick up chicks is obscene.
Just too much.
OMG how will they ever recover from losing their 10 dollar an hour jobs. Goober and Opie can always work at wal-mart.
Max,
Disagreed.
Inmates should be held accountable for the crimes that they commit.
However, to subject people and/or inmates to a continuously harsh environment, will harden them and make them incorrigible. Rehabilitation has to include activities that allow the incarcerated to not be under 100% stress. To do otherwise, will only cause them to leave prison worse!
I knew there had to be something sexual about it... Glad they were caught! You also kind of wonder if they actually did have physical contact with her...
The guard were predators looking for victims. Most inmates would have been too fearful to say anything and the predatory behavior would have continued. It is so important that victims speak up and not be ashamed.
Predator are you serious WTF are inmates doing on facebook this is supposed to be incarceration not the local internet cafe.
Panhead... did you even bother to read the actual article, or just the headline?
She saw this AFTER she got out of jail.
"The inmate, who was incarcerated on June 28, did not have access to her phone or a computer while she was in jail..."
Panhead did you even attempt to actually read the article. It states she DID NOT HAVE ACCESS TO FACEBOOK WHILE IN JAIL. If you feel the need to comment at least try and do so intelligently.
There was nothing sexual about this. This is just a chick who's smart enough to lead on a couple of cops so their idiot asses would chop their own dicks off. She did it so she could laugh at them on the streets. I didn't see a thing in the article that said anything about sexual behavior, in fact it specifically says that ALL parties denied any physical contact. That "all" includes her. Too bad...she could have sued their assess instead of just getting them canned. lol
Jealous.
Stop trolling, Greg
Well, she went blabbing to her boyfriend as soon as she got out of jail. I think if there would have been sex involved, she would have been blabbing about that too.
Why the Hell are convicted felons allowed to have Facebook pages?
I'm sure the facebook page was made long before the inmate was ever in jail...I don't think the jail has a facebook page made for just the inmates.
Nothing in that article states that she was a "convicted felon" OR that she was even in there for an extensive period of time. All it states is that she was locked up in county jail, which could have been for a couple weeks. Who knows? But let's not jump to conclusions.
Huh? Did you even read the article?
and how would you stop them?
also, the woman wasn't convicted of anything yet
Convicted felon? Another guy to ignore for embellishing stories...
Wow reading comprehension is limited on the vine. Where did you see this woman was convicted of a felony or had access to facebook while in jail?
Charles Manson even has a cell phone.
Why the hell don't people read the article before posting retarded comments?
Why are you allowed?
GregHarper, she has it on Facebook in writing and on her phone message in writing. Now maybe she will not get the "biggie" settlement but u bet that county is going to get nailed for something for her just for the sexual inuendo that they did. The big Taboo is outside contact with inmates. It must never happen or they have u by the gonads.
Disgusting. There's criminals on both sides of the bars.
Just noticed that, huh? They're also in and out of the facility.
Right on Kim1213. Some ppl are still asleep.
So sad, but so true. In Eugene, Oregon we had two cops raping women while on patrol and getting away with it. They finally did something about it, but neither of them spent much time in jail. There are many criminals wearing many uniforms. Not all cops are bad, but they all dress alike.
Glad they fired these guys, hard to tell how many got away with this sort of thing because no one bothered to "squeal to their boyfriends." Who knows where it would have led, or has led in the past. They aren't supposed to make sexual advances for a reason.
Why would an inmate have a cell phone and Facebook access anyway? It's supposed to be prison, not a resort!
Really? Reading is fundamental dude. Can't believe you even got one vote.
In jails they don't have any access to cell phones or computers. But how hard would it be for her to give out her user name, or they look up her full name, which the officers would know, and find her facebook page? Come on folks, common sense isn't looking very common on here.
pssst...thepunisher...the one vote...they gave themself...shhhhh..don't tell anyone.
realist is why i send my kids to private school.
Uncle, Realist, is why you send your kids to school!
Slow down a little and read the whole story before you make a comment. She didn't have access to her cellphone or Facebook while in jail. That was the first question I had when I read this story, and I got angry at first, but then I read on and got a clearer picture.
"...did not have access to her phone or a computer while she was in jail,..."
Read the article.
The question here isn't why did a jailer try to facebook a female inmate. The question is, why was an inmate allowed a facebook page while in the can?
You are like the 3rd person to ask the same dumb question, when it could all have been avoided if you had just read the article. What is wrong with you people?
I am right there with you thepunisher-2054749!
These twits are responding to a HEADLINE without actually reading the article itself: "The inmate, who was incarcerated on June 28, did not have access to her phone or a computer while she was in jail,..."
An Air Force drill instructor years ago, during written tests/evals, instructed us to RTFQ2 ... "read the f***king question twice" .
Good advice still to this day!
Cheers!
Gregorovich got the Realist vote!
please learn how to read you guys. she had a facebook page before she was locked up from the friend request both men sent her and the text messages they sent th police knew they sent the requests and the text while she was in jail at no point did they say she was on facebook while locked up or used her cell phone please read
It looks like a lot of you got so angry at the thought of a prisoner having a cell phone or computer access that you didn't bother reading the whole story.
black cops even trying to get white inmates. They'll try anything.
WOW, talk about judgemental AND racist. Nothing in this article stated that anyone involved was black or white. For all we know, the inmate could have been black...or even asian. Either way, it's irrelevant to the facts.
Congrats, you've made yourself out to be more foolish than the men in this article.
and dumbest comment of the day goes to...........Congratulations gdimatt.
Congrats gdimatt, you are the racist of the day...YAY! *and the people rejoice* swear where are these shortbus riders coming from today?
where in here did it say they were black or she was white,id like to know whey they aint in jail for sexual misconduct
John, it says in the story they there was no proof of sexual contact, but also it isn't illegal if they had, the only way the state would have been able to actually charge either of them is if they are caught in the act, they that usually only applies to state or federal prisons, unless a law is passed by the country direct involved county penal institutions, which would be overturned by some lawsuit that the ACLU would file...wasting millions of Tax payers money...etc...blah.
gdimatt:
One of the guards' names was Andrea Rogers. The article states both were males. Andrea is a common male first name for someone of Italian decent (think Andrea Bocelli, the singer.) chances are good that this one was white.
And race has nothing to do with it.
they posted their pics on here now...one is black and one is white..AMAZING...white men and black men are both equally stupid...who knew?
A lot of crazy posters here today. To the racist, I didn't read anywhere in this article where the race of anyone involved was mentioned. So I don't know how you seem to know the race of the guards and inmate. Secondly to everyone wondering why the inmate had access to facebook, READ THE ARTICLE AGAIN. It explicitly states that she did NOT have access to facebook or cell phone. Sheesh!
Well they do show pictures of the guards....We don't know the race of the inmate because they didn't release her name or pic .....And race doesn't matter anyway...So you were correct about not reading about there race but you were wrong about none of us knowing..I guess you don't have the pics because you are using your phone or something?
Andrea is black.
Andrea is a girl.
rjay55, andrea is in fact a girl's name HOWEVER DUMB NUTS IT'S ALSO THE BLACK OFFICERS NAME. HE IS A "MAN".
No he's not.
Seems like 2 candidates for America's Dumbest Criminals Page - even though they were Correction Guards! Wonder who watches the watchers?
Well, in defense of correction officers, they aren't the brightest of the bunch.
Probably the same people who fired the guy, ya think?
Hey Chris
She told her boyfriend who told the Sheriff. Perhaps you should follow your own advice of:
Ya Think?
If you read the article, you would see that it was the Inmate's boyfriend who found the text on her cell phone
Jack---Chris saying that the it was the people who fired the guy doesn't really line up with him not reading the article....You spelled it out exactly but that doesn't mean that Chris didn't already know that...He wasn't asking how they found out you are the one who asked who was watching the watchers...
The term 'Who watches the watchers' is normally used as sarcasm to indicate the "watchers" are not being held accountable for their actions. In this case they obviously were as the persons watching those watchers fired one of them.
THAT was my point.
Obviously people don't read the article. She DIDN'T have access to her phone or facebook while locked up.
And no where in the article does it say she was a 'convicted felon'. Read before you feel the need to share your thoughts.
Especially, when she bonded out. Usually a good indication she has not yet been convicted of anything.
On another note, why is one of the guys name Andrea????
Italian. Think Italian singer Andrea Bocelli.
Not pronounced as you would the female name.
Pronounced "On-dray-uh", not "An-dree-uh" ...just like Amanda said; Andrea Bocelli.
It's a man's name in Italy.
This is not Italy. Here, it is a girl's name. Therefore, this jail guard dude is, in fact, a girl.
Bout time the "guards" are held responsible for their conduct- everything I've read about prison guards convinces me that most of them are on the wrong side of the bars........
That's how it is in every prison movie...and if it's on tv or the movies, it must be true.
Some are, some aren't. Depends on the culture in the facility, the guards, and what the procedures are for accountability and responsibility.
I spent one year in a regular prison, and two in one of the private for profit private prisons on a civil detention retainer, and the private prison was BY FAR the worst.
In regular prison it was very well-regulated and I didn't have much to complain about (besides the fact that I was in there without having broken any laws or done anything wrong.)
In the private prison things were very, very different. Besides the food deprivation, sleep deprivation, dirty clothes and lack of privacy, one of the guys who pegged me as his 'favorite' for the strip searches and body cavity searches bragged openly about how he 'kept his bitch in line' at home--and he was also one of the ones who would take us out when he got bored, make us strip, kneel, and point a gun at us and pull the trigger. (The gun was empty, of course; it was a scare tactic.)
And although they were supposed to be held accountable by the government, someone who complained about the guards had to do so to the supervisor or warden, and warden would decide whether to forward to the government supervisor. If the warden didn't decide to do so, you could be sent to solitary.
I would have much rather stayed in the gvt run prison than the private prison!!!!
Amanda: Thanks for the information-apparently there is little accountability in "private" prisons. Everything seems to be about profit nowdays with no concern for the people.........
Peace:
You're welcome. The thing to remember about my experiences is that legally I had no rights, this private prison was for immigration detainees, and my experience was definitely atypical.
People who had countries to which they could be deported were mostly left alone, because their governments could complain if their citizens were treated poorly.
It only happened to those like me who were 'stuck'. I was abandoned as an infant with no birth certificate, was legally adopted, Immigration lost my adoption papers 18 years later and I couldn't give them a copy because I wasn't told I was adopted before my parents passed away in a car crash, so I was indefinitely detained--the definition for me is undocumented. Not illegal, because I had broken no laws and was never charged with any crimes--it's an important distinction. I was simply missing a piece of paper.
The guards knew I was going to be held indefinitely on a civil detention retainer (which means there are no trials, no charges, no arrest, no judge, no habeas corpus hearing, no due process and no pro-bono legal assistance) for as long as it took for me to track down my adoption paperwork, and as the adoption agency was no longer in business (closed down in the 18 years since I'd been adopted) there was little expectation I would ever get out. Those of us who were in the same situation (undocumented/stateless) tended to get singled out for the worst treatment because we had no rights and couldn't complain.
Also important to note is that President Obama ordered the camp closed for human rights violations (years after I got out.)
OMG! What a nightmare! Trying to get paperwork from that long ago is hard enough but to be stuck in Limbo-thank god you were able to get the documentation-and thank god we have a POTUS that actually cares about WE THE PEOPLE-all the best to you and anyone else in a similar situation.
Obama/Biden 2012
From his actions, I'd say that President Obama is one of the few out there who recognizes the difference between 'illegal' and 'undocumented'--intent.
Most people think 'undocumented' is a politically correct term for illegal, and it's not, it's describing people like me who are missing a piece of paper. Mainstream media doesn't even understand the difference--or ignore education in favor of sensationalism. Not having a birth certificate or other paperwork is almost unheard-of in this day and age of electronic-backup- EVERYTHING, but it still happens, particularly in third-world countries and areas hit by natural disasters or conflicts. I'll bet most of those Syrian refugees don't have their birth certificates. Or victims from the Japanese quake, the Indonesian tsunami, or the Haiti earthquake. And getting copies may be impossible now if the buildings housing the paper copies were destroyed.
President Obama also seems to realize that everyone has inalienable human rights, as our Founding Fathers expressed in the Declaration of Independence, whether USC or not.
Amanda, have you ever thought about giving your story to a professional journalist? I really think that your story should be told in a way that will reach a lot of people. Maybe a book or a long article.
I worked 17 years as a Correctional Officer. Your commit is incorrect. The majority of officers I worked with were impecable and of strong character. They put their lives on the line daily and worked in an enviornment compared to hell. In spite of the atmosphere of their employment, they do their jobs above professional standards. Most people think Correctional Officers spend their time banging keys on the bars and harrassing inmates. There is far to much to do than rile up the troubled souls behind bars.
Freedom Fighter---You are wrong....There are some guards who are doing their job but most of them are sick and sadistic..That is why they got the job or they become that way after working there...You probably were too...Most people who act that way don't recognize that they are doing it because they are sick in the head....And your blanket denial for all prison guards without doubt demonstrates that you are one of those aforementioned sick people....If you said" some of the guards were good but most were bad" then I would believe you but no you said" The majority of officers I worked with were impecable(Misspelling is all yours too) and of strong character " now if you meant impeccable in their ability to torture and assault then that would be a true statement....
These were future cops. Glad they got busted now. We don't need these kinds of people with a badge and a gun. We have enough idiots out there.
Peace I was a correctional officer a long time ago and one of the thing we were told by our captain was, "You are no different than the people behind the bars!" "The only difference is they got caught!" So don't act so high and might!
Your captain must have had a low set of standards, not to mention how low he/she viewed you guys. Not everybody aspires to be criminals.
Jessica: I know there are prison guards who use their positions of power to intimidate, bully, and abuse the people they are 'guarding'. The Professional Boundries between prisoner & guard need to be respected.......
The punisher--Peace's captain was entirely correct and I think you were missing the point(Are you low I.Q. prison guard material?).....The point is everyone breaks the law and that is a fact...Not everyone aspires to be a criminal like you said which would be false...But no matter how law abiding you "Think" you are I know no matter what you say you break the law because there are so many on the books...Now you are maybe thinking no I don't....But I can use just one example and maybe you don't do this but that doesn't mean you don't break any laws....Do you ever cross the street without using the crosswalks when the walk indicator is telling you it is time to cross ? Because that is against the law...Have you ever driven or rode in an automobile without a seat belt ? Or had a few drinks and drove? Or there are even old laws saying things like you can't eat ice-cream in public on sundays in a certain town in MI or somewhere(You can look up "Stupid laws" on google yourself....Point is the captain was correct about all of us being criminals and those in jail just got caught...........
wow u can tell the idiots in her dont read much do they she didnt have access to her account she didnt have access to her phone she got out she told her boy freind what the gaurds did he turned them in the question is y arnt they in jail for inapropreit sexual conduct we would be untill trial if the same was sed about us but if ur in the legal system u get exceptions to the rules fry the pork
I believe it is not a crime to text or "freind" a person on facebook, so why would they be arrested?
I love it when posters are calling people out for stupidity, being idiots, uneducated etc. and they do stuff like this! It sort of defeats the purpose.
1) No one got arrested. 2) Depending on events, their actions could've been criminal. Not saying it was, but, fb'ing and texting a female prisoner who is in the jail that you're a prison guard at and who you don't know just has sketchy written all over it.
A man named Andrea? WTF? I'd be in court the day I turned 18 to change that bitch of a name. What's his middle name? Pussywillow?
This article proves that using Facebook is a horrible mistake for many people. But...humans are idiots. How the hell did we survive as a species? Are all the other animals just that much dumber?
Not sure how YOU have survived either, "doctor". Please tell us that you have never mated! You are so clueless. Leave the internet now, and please turn off your computer so it doesn't infect the rest of us. Please see below:
"Not pronounced as you would the female name. The name is Italian
Pronounced "On-dray-uh", not "An-dree-uh" ...just like Amanda said; Andrea Bocelli, the Italian tenor with that amazing voice."
Max 108 Your compassion is astounding.
This is not a surprise at all! I worked as a guard for a prison in Maine. I was a hard a$$ (as I was supposed to be - we were all expected to act in such a manner). I had hit and even *allegedly* killed an inmate. I never appeared vulnerable until the day that the authorities came for me.
On second thought, that wasnt me. That was Byron from "Shawshank Rebellion".
When will people learn that anything that goes on the Internet is open to the public. Even the comments that are made here could potentially come back to haunt some people.
How do inmates have access to Facebook and cell phones?
They don't. Re-read the article.
mcgrew better to READ the article.
These guys did not commit a crime, they were just stupid. The only thing I would like to know is how long were they guards, it sounds like a rookie mistake, getting caught I mean.
I don't condone ANY relationship between jailer and jailee and I'm assuming these guys were just jailers and not Deputies waiting to go to patrol.
I'm going against the grain here, but I don't see what the big deal is? So they sent a friend request to her. People friend each other everyday in social media, and they also friend friends of friends; people that they've never met.
The issue is that they were in a position of power over her, however briefly; and they engaged in verbal sexual misconduct while she was in their power.
An inmate cannot 'consent' to sexual relationships with a guard.
She was in jail, not prison; she was released on bond,which meant trial was still pending and there was a chance she could have been returned to the authority of the guards. So by engaging in verbal sexual conversation while in jail was inappropriate; and the fact that they attempted to contact her once she was out on bond with a possibility of being returned to their custody could have thrown a serious wrench in the case/charges against her.
Reading is fundamental, people! Better yet, reading COMPREHENSION is fundamental.
Nowhere does it say she was on FB IN jail...I'm sure she already had the page....and they sent the messages to her.
She didn't have access to it. Pay attention.....
Those jailers have been spending too much time at their pc's.