Ex-Kern County Jail deputy must register as sex offender
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — A former Kern County detentions deputy was sentenced Thursday for assaulting female inmates.
Anthony Lavis, 56, was arrested early last year for the alleged sexual assaults in the Lerdo Pre-Trial facility. He pleaded no contest last month to three counts of assault by a public officer, and several other charges were dismissed.
The investigation began in October 2009 when an inmate told another guard about the alleged assault, according to arrest documents from the sheriff's office. That inmate claimed Lavis talked to her when she was taking a shower and touched her vagina.
Investigators set up audio and video surveillance on that inmate's cell, and Lavis was caught touching the inmate and talking to her again in a sexual manner, according to the arrest documents.
Three additional inmates came forward with allegations against Lavis. They told investigators that he either touched them in their private areas, rubbed himself on them, tried to kiss them and or forced them to disrobe.
Lavis' sentence includes more than three years in prison, and he must register with the state as a sex offender.
