OTTAWA COUNTY, Mich. – New details are coming to light following the firing of an Ottawa County corrections officer who is accused of sexually assaulting two inmates.
Jonathan Kermeen, a nine-year employee of the department, was suspended Oct. 30 after allegations against him from an uninvolved female inmate. He was arrested and charged with two counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct.
On Wednesday, FOX 17 obtained the probable cause affidavit in the case.
Lieutenant Mark Bennett told an Ottawa County judge Tuesday, “This contact had occurred over the course of several different months, starting in August of 2013 and the last, according to Mr. Kermeen, occurred in the first weekend of October 2013. “
“The first contact that Mr. Kermeen told me had happened with (the victim) was that he had called her out of her cell, had some contact with her, verbal contact. He began kissing her, open mouth kiss with tongue. At one point reached up underneath of her jail uniform, inmate uniform, and touched her bare breast with his hand. He told me he became sexually aroused at this point. And this kissing episode and touching episode lasted approximately four to five minutes.”
Bennett testified that another incident happened the first weekend of October.
“(The victim) was again called out of her cell and had contact with Deputy Kermeen. At this particular time kissing again ensued. He then, at this particular point, also touched her on the buttocks outside of her clothing and told me that there was no other contact there.”
Kermeen told the lieutenant that after he thought someone had seen the ‘inappropriate contact’, there were no other instances with the inmate.
Bennett interviewed a second alleged victim in the case who claims she had sexual contact with the deputy between June and October 2013. She told Bennett the deputy brought her to the medical area of the facility to take her blood pressure. “During that contact with her, he had taken her hand and made her touch his penis. He did admit that that was for sexual gratification,” Bennett told the judge.
Kermeen was arraigned Tuesday in Holland District Court. According to a press release, he is currently lodged in the Kent County jail on a $3,500 bond for each count.
Ottawa County officials said Kermeen was officially terminated Tuesday afternoon prior to his arrest.
