A former Suffolk County correction officer was sentenced Tuesday to 18 months in jail for sexually assaulting an inmate while working at the Riverhead Correctional Facility, prosecutors said.
Jason Middleton, 37, of Central Islip, was sentenced Aug. 25 after pleading guilty to third-degree criminal sexual act and official misconduct, according to Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney.
Click to read our previous coverage of this case.
Prosecutors said Middleton began working as a correction officer at the Riverhead facility in 2019, where his duties included guarding inmates.
Between June 5 and Aug. 14, 2023, Middleton escorted an inmate into a utility walkway between jail cells that he knew was a blind spot in the facility’s security camera coverage, according to court documents and Middleton’s admission during his guilty plea.
Prosecutors said Middleton closed the door and ordered the inmate to perform a sex act on him. The inmate complied.
Middleton was arrested Nov. 24, 2023, by members of the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Public Corruption Squad. He was subsequently suspended without pay by the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office.
On June 26, Middleton pleaded guilty to third-degree criminal sexual act, a Class E felony, and official misconduct, a Class A misdemeanor, before Acting Supreme Court Justice Karen M. Wilutis.
Middleton also resigned from county employment as part of his plea agreement.
“The vast majority of correction officers uphold their duties with the honesty and professionalism our justice system depends on,” Tierney said, calling Middleton’s conduct an “outrageous abuse of power.”
Middleton was sentenced Tuesday to one year and six months in jail and was also given registered sex offender status.
The case was prosecuted by Deputy Bureau Chief Laura de Oliveira and Bureau Chief Kevin Ward of the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Public Corruption Bureau.
Photo: SCDA
