The two victims allege sexual assault due to systemic failures and improper staffing at Fayette County Detention Center. LEXINGTON, KY – A lawsuit filed against a former corrections officer, Joshua Rogers, and the Lexington-Fayette government alleges that two victims were sexually assaulted inside the Fayette County Detention Center due to inadequate staffing and systemic failures. The two victims filed the lawsuit in Fayette Circuit Court in June, naming Mayor Linda Gorton, former jail Director Lisa Farmer, current Director Scott Colvin, and former officer Joshua Rogers as defendants. The case was subsequently moved to federal court. According to court records, both victims claim they were assaulted by Rogers on June 16, 2022, inside the detention center. The documents allege that around 2 a.m., the victims were taken out of their cells for kitchen duty despite the kitchen staff informing that they were not needed. The victims were placed in separate cubicles, where they allege Rogers assaulted them. They claim Rogers deliberately chose this location as he was aware that there were no cameras in place that could have captured the incident. Rogers was arrested and charged with third-degree sodomy, to which he pleaded guilty in May. He is scheduled to be sentenced on August 17. Prosecutors have recommended a four-year prison sentence for Rogers, who will also be registered as a sex offender for 20 years and will have a 10-year interpersonal protective order filed against him. Maj. Matt LeMonds of Lexington Community Corrections confirmed that Rogers was formerly employed with the jail but has since been terminated. The lawsuit points to a “systemic failure” of the Lexington Fayette Urban County Government (LFUCG) to properly staff the jail, prevent sexual assaults by staff members, and hold offenders accountable. The victims allege that their Fourth, Fifth, Eighth, Ninth, and Fourteenth Amendment rights under the... Continue Reading