WASHINGTON COUNTY, ARKANSAS, Ark. — A worker at the Washington County Detention Center accused of assaulting an inmate has pleaded not guilty and received a trial date.
Joseph Douglas Richards, 35, was arrested in August on one count of third-degree sexual assault, a Class C felony.
According to a criminal information sheet filed in August, Richards "used his position of authority to engage in deviate sexual activity with a person in custody at the Washington County Jail."
A probable cause report from the Washington County Sheriff's Office said Richards had been employed in his role as a contracted employee providing services to the detention center since fall 2023, and he described his role to investigators as being a supervisor or leader over an area of trustee 309s.
The report said that on Aug. 2, detectives investigated the allegation of a sexual relationship between an inmate at the detention center and a contracted employee.
The accusation came from a witness who claimed they saw Richards and an inmate kissing, according to the report. The inmate was interviewed and said she and Richards had a physical relationship, kissing on multiple occasions and participating in multiple instances of sexual activity, including intercourse, throughout the spring of 2024.
Richards was interviewed by investigators and reportedly said he knew better but had a sexual relationship with the inmate. He admitted to numerous sexual acts but denied having intercourse with her.
The incidents occurred between March 1, 2024, and Aug. 2, 2024, according to court documents.
5NEWS reached out to the Washington County Sheriff's Office and a spokesperson confirmed that Richards was employed through a third party contracted vendor, not the sheriff's office.
The spokesperson noted that contracted vendors hire their own employees, but that they still have to go through a background check.
The spokesperson confirmed that Richards is not working at the detention center.
During a hearing on Aug. 21, Richards pleaded not guilty. His trial date has been set for Jan. 9, 2025, in Washington County.
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