The officer is officially charged with sexual contact with a confined person along with other felony charges. The incident is alleged to have occurred on Friday night. After being questioned by detectives Saturday, Akinsoji Okin was arrested. He posted bail and no longer in jail.
Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims said this kind of behavior will not be tolerated and she is pressing for prosecution. "It was important to take quick action. This kind of conduct is not to be tolerated. In fact he has been arrested. We will go going to the District Attorneys Office to request filing of felony charges against Okin.
The incident is alleged to have been witnessed by inmates, and captured on a security camera. It's alleged to have occurred while the correctional officer was standing in the corridor, next to a cell door. He is alleged to have reached into the cell.
"The conduct included physical contact between the correctional officer and the inmate and it constitutes a felony charge," said Mims.
Mims said it doesn't matter if the inmate consented or not. Such incidents are seen as an abuse of authority. She is urging the District Attorney to file the strictest charges possible. "I'm disappointed because we hold our employees to a higher standard. However, they are human beings and whenever this kind of inappropriate incident takes place we need to hold our employees accountable and make sure that happens."
Officer Akinsoji Okin goes by his middle name of Oscar. While he has been a correctional officer at the Fresno County Jail for six years, Action News learned he was fired from the Sheriff's Department in 2006 shortly after he was stopped and by Fresno Police for picking up a prostitute. Police records obtained by Action News show he was given a citation but not arrested.
Okin was reinstated to his job in the jail in 2008 after he appealed his firing to the Civil Service Board.
Action News spoke with Okin by phone on Monday. He said he had nothing to say about the incident and is in the process of retaining a lawyer.
