A former Shasta County jail employee has pled guilty to having sexual contact with a female inmate. 60-year-old Luis Sotero Navarro was a non-sworn supervisor who worked in the jail when the sheriff’s office learned of the relationship last August. Detectives obtained evidence that corroborated the story, including interviews with the victim, who had been in jail for 10 months when Navarro was arrested. She said Navarro flirted with her, gave her gifts and put money in her commissary account. He apparently took the woman to an area of the jail where there were no surveillance cameras, and touched her intimately. She said she did not feel like she could refuse consent because she was cornered and in custody. During a trial readiness conference earlier this month, Navarro pled guilty to sexual contact with a consenting incarcerated adult. Sentencing is set for August 12th. Navarro is not currently in custody.
-Steve Gibson