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Jail Watch: The Other Shoe Drops for Sheriff Bill Keating of Montague County

Drive north of Dallas/Fort Worth to Denton, and keep straight as the crow flies on a northwest path and very soon, you end up in Montague County, Texas. That’s where Sheriff Bill Keating reigned as the top dog of county law enforcement until a federal investigation toppled him from power.

Last Friday, the State of Texas issued its 106-count Indictment against Bill Keating and several of his jailers

Last month, we posted about the federal plea bargain that ex-Sheriff Keating entered into, and all the sordid details of how that jail was run (remember the recliners in the jail cells?) … well, apparently, the feds have nothing on the State of Texas. There’s a whole new kettle of fish in these charges.

Seventeen people charged with wrongdoing in their official capacities at the Montague County Jail, including having sex with inmates

And here’s what is contained in those 106 charges within Friday’s indictment:

1. Ex-sheriff Bill Keating is charged with official oppression and having sex with inmates.

2. Some of the female jail guards are also charged with having sex with inmates.

3. Jail guards, male and female, are charged with bringing inmates cigarettes, cell phones, and drugs (and possibly other banned items).

4. Some of these guards are also charged with drug possession.

If convicted, Ex-Sheriff Keating will face a year in jail for the oppression charge, and up to 2 years on the charge of having sex with an inmate (officially, the crime is “improper sexual activity with someone in custody”).

Apparently, the Feds Charged for Sex Outside the Jail, State Charges are for Sex Inside the Jail

And, that earlier charge against the Sheriff – the one that resulted in a plea bargain with the feds last month? That case is apparently unrelated to these new state charges. That’s right: apparently, the feds charged the Sheriff with illegal sexual activity outside of the jail, and the state has charged him for illegal sexual activity inside the jail.

What About the Recliners?

The names of those jailers who have been charged haven’t been released yet. And, no, still no word of the fate of the infamouse jail cell recliners. Will they be used as evidence (picture CSI analysis here)? Will they be auctioned off by the county? How many are there? These are facts — along with many others (color? number? were they the popular brand we all know, or a bunch of cheap knockoffs?)that are being guarded by the prosecution right now.

Sources:

Dallas Criminal Lawyer Blog
http://dallaslawyer.blogspot.com/2009/02/cop-watch-north-texas-sheriff-cops-plea.html

Associated Press
http://www.correctionsone.com/corrections/articles/1792273-Former-Texas-sheriff-ex-jailers-among-17-charged-in-drug-sex-crimes/


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