Ex-Benton County corrections officer admits to sexual misconduct in jail
A former Benton County corrections officer admitted to propositioning a female inmate and making her touch him inappropriately.
Kevin L. Bell, 43, pleaded guilty on Monday in Benton County Superior Court to second-degree custodial sexual misconduct, a felony, according to court documents.
Bell, who worked at the Kennewick jail for nearly five years, instigated the sexual misconduct in a jail office just out of sight of security cameras.
It’s illegal for a corrections officer to have any kind of sexual contact with an inmate whether it is consensual or not, according to Washington state law.
Bell was booked into the Franklin County jail Monday afternoon while he waits for the Department of Corrections to conduct a sex offender evaluation. His sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 21 where he faces between six months to a year in jail, court documents said.
Prosecutors plan to ask for a six-month jail sentence along with a year on probation and sexual deviancy treatment. They also want him to register as a sex offender.
Bell had been out of custody on a $5,000 bond since shortly after his arrest on March 5. He resigned from his position on April 12, 2024.
Sexual misconduct
The criminal charge was based on two incidents with the same female inmate, who told investigators she filed a complaint when she learned he may have done the same thing to other inmates, according to court documents.
Bell summoned the inmate from her work in the laundry room to an office on the third floor of the jail at least twice on Dec. 20, 2023.
When she started to leave, Bell came up behind her and pressed himself against her and said that he wanted to have sex with her, according to court documents.
Later that evening, Bell summoned her again. When she arrived, he was coming out of a break room restroom.
He pointed out his exposed genitalia and made her touch him.
Over the next two months, Bell allegedly tried several more times to get the same woman alone, making sexual remarks to her, according to court documents.
The woman, who was serving time for a drug offense, came forward on Feb. 20, triggering the investigation. Bell was placed on paid leave after the report.
She told investigators she didn’t initially report the incident, until she found out Bell allegedly acted inappropriately with another inmate, according to court documents.
No additional charges were filed against Bell.