A former female jail administrator was arrested on accusations of sexually assaulting a prisoner, with whom she also shared meals on the courthouse lawn, according to an arrest affidavit.
Mary Gibson, 44, of Ashdown is accused of fourth-degree sexual assault of the male prisoner and of furnishing prohibited articles to him, according to the arrest affidavit that was prepared by Arkansas State Police special agents Hays McWhirter and Pete Penney.
The affidavit was filed early this week in the Little River County circuit clerk's office.
Little River County Sheriff Gary Gregory said the investigation involving a prisoner who was serving a sentence for failure to pay child support lasted seven weeks.
The reported actions occurred from May through August, when Gibson was the jail administrator, the affidavit states.
The sexual assault charge is a Class D felony with a potential sentence of up to six years in prison and a maximum fine of $10,000. The Class C felony of furnishing prohibited articles to a prisoner carries a potential sentence of three to 10 years and a maximum fine of $10,000.
The arrest affidavit states that Gibson would let the prisoner out of his cell, usually after 5 p.m. and "especially after dark." They would walk to the "round house," or storage building, where maintenance equipment is stored on the north side of the courthouse, the document says.
The affidavit states the prisoner and Gibson would smoke cigarettes and kiss.
"This would also take place on a bench on the courthouse lawn where security cameras are not recording," and then Gibson would walk with the prisoner to take trash to the dumpster, the document says.
"On more than one occasion," Gibson and the prisoner were kissing, and Gibson "fondled" the prisoner's genitals while he was in his jail cell, the affidavit says.
Security cameras show Gibson and the prisoner engaging in conversation while sitting next to each other at all hours of the day and night, the affidavit says. Gibson also can be seen sitting in a chair in the prisoner's cell, according to records.
Several Little River County sheriff's office dispatchers and jailers noticed the "special attention Gibson was giving" to the prisoner, the affidavit states.
Some of the dispatchers and jailers used their cellphones to take photos of Gibson and the prisoner, and "shortly after this information got out, the jail enacted a no-cellphone policy in the jail," the affidavit states.
The arrest affidavit states that Gibson also would take food to the prisoner from different restaurants, including Olive Garden, Long John Silver's and Herb's, and they would eat together either in Gibson's office or on the courthouse lawn.
State Desk on 11/06/2015