Private Prison Driver Raped Woman On Way To Minnesota Jail: Feds

MISSOURI — A former private prisoner transport officer was sentenced to nine years in prison after sexually assaulting a female inmate while driving her to a Minnesota facility. The incident happened at a rest stop in Missouri, authorities said.

Rogeric Hankins, 37, was convicted in federal court of violating the inmate's civil rights. Following his prison sentence, he will serve three years of supervised release.

"The defendant sexually abused and violently assaulted a woman in his custody, exploiting his authority and depriving this survivor of her constitutional right to bodily integrity," said Kristen Clarke of the U.S. Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.

"This sentence sends a clear message that the Justice Department is committed to protecting victims of sexual violence carried out at the hands of any and all law enforcement officials. The privatization of positions in law enforcement does not change the fact that these individuals can and must be held accountable when they violate our federal civil rights laws."

Hankins worked as a private prisoner transport officer for Inmate Services Corporation. He was tasked with picking up people arrested on out-of-state warrants and transporting them to the state where the warrant originated.

On March 31, 2020, Hankins picked up a female pretrial detainee from a jail in Olympia, Washington, to transport her to a jail in St. Paul.

During the trip, on April 3, 2020, Hankins stopped the transport van at a rest stop in Joplin, Missouri. He brought the inmate into the rest stop to use the bathroom, where he raped her, authorities said.

"Hankins abused his power and sexually assaulted the victim while she was extremely vulnerable," said Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr. of the FBI Minneapolis Field Office.

"Today's sentencing sends a clear message that those who abuse their position of power to sexually assault the very people they are sworn to protect will be held accountable. The FBI is committed to protecting the Constitutional rights of all citizens and pursuing justice on behalf of the victims in cases like this."

The FBI's field office in Minneapolis investigated the case with help from the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office.

Members of the U.S. Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section prosecuted the case with assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Missouri.