A Suffolk County corrections officer has admitted to sexually assaulting an inmate inside the Riverhead Correctional Facility, pleading guilty Friday to felony and misdemeanor charges stemming from the abuse of his position.
Jason Middleton, 37, of Central Islip, pleaded guilty on June 26 to one count of Criminal Sexual Act in the Third Degree, a Class E felony, and one count of Official Misconduct, a Class A misdemeanor, before Acting Supreme Court Justice Karen M. Wilutis.
According to court documents and Middleton’s admissions during his guilty plea, the assault occurred sometime between June 5 and Aug. 14, 2023, while he was working as a corrections officer assigned to guard inmates at the Riverhead Correctional Facility. Prosecutors said Middleton escorted an inmate into a utility walkway that he knew was a blind spot in the jail’s security camera coverage, closed the door, and ordered the inmate to perform oral sex. The inmate complied.
Prosecutors also said Middleton had previously threatened the inmate that if he disobeyed him, he would plant contraband in the inmate’s cell, resulting in additional criminal charges.
District Attorney Raymond Tierney said Middleton abused both his authority and the public’s trust.
“This defendant admitted to a profound abuse of authority and a violation of the public trust by pleading guilty to sexually assaulting an individual in his custody,” Tierney said.
Suffolk County Sheriff Errol Toulon Jr. said the Sheriff’s Office has “zero tolerance” for that type of conduct and called the crimes “inexcusable.”
Middleton was arrested by members of the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Public Corruption Squad on Nov. 24, 2023, and has been suspended without pay since his arrest. As a condition of his plea agreement, he resigned from county employment effective immediately.
He is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 25, 2026, and is expected to receive a sentence of 1½ years in jail. He will also be required to register as a sex offender.
Photo: SCDA
