A former Suffolk County correction officer was sentenced Tuesday to 1 1/2 years in jail after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting an inmate at the Riverhead Correctional Facility, Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney announced.
Jason Middleton, 37, of Central Islip, pleaded guilty June 26 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, according to the district attorney’s office.
Middleton worked as a correction officer at the Riverhead jail beginning in 2019 and was responsible for guarding inmates, prosecutors said.
Between June 5, 2023, and Aug. 14, 2023, Middleton escorted an inmate into a utility walkway between jail cells that he knew was a blind spot in security camera coverage, prosecutors said. Once there, he closed the door and ordered the inmate to perform oral sex on him, according to court documents and Middleton’s guilty plea allocution.
Middleton was arrested Nov. 24, 2023 by members of the district attorney’s Public Corruption Squad and was suspended without pay by the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office. He resigned from county employment as part of his plea, prosecutors said.
“The vast majority of correction officers uphold their duties with the honesty and professionalism our justice system depends on. This defendant took advantage of the trust placed with him to commit an outrageous abuse of power and a serious crime,” Tierney said in the release. “My office will continue to prosecute such cases vigorously to safeguard the public’s trust. Thank you to the Sheriff’s office for their assistance to our investigation.”
Middleton was sentenced Aug. 25 to one year and six months in jail and sex offender registration, according to the district attorney’s office. He was represented by James Pascarella.
The case was prosecuted by Deputy Bureau Chief Laura de Oliveira and Bureau Chief Kevin Ward of the district attorney’s Public Corruption Bureau.
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