Officials from the Snake River Correctional Institution allege that a female correctional officer engaged in sexual activity with an inmate of the institution, but staff members say it is based on the unfounded statement of an inmate.
(ONTARIO, Ore.) - Sometimes our stories take on a life of their own at Salem-News.com, and this report on the arrest of two corrections officers is a prime example.
Like many stories, they come to our agency in the form of a press release. When you are dealing with police or corrections officers, it is often hard to track down a telephone number to get the other side of the story.
The comment section on Salem-News.com is where the action gets going sometimes, and people are free to say what they want about stories, provided they do not use profanity or make illegal statements or threats.
These comments now appear to be changing this particular story, released by Oregon officials last week. One primary point stated is that the inmate who claimed to have had sex with Tomi Sue Fowler, may have made similar statements about other corrections officers, all of which were unfounded.
The state of Oregon released the statements about the alleged sexual encounter in conjunction with the Malheur County District Attorney.
I suggest that as people read the story below, that they bear in mind the comments. They are not verified news statements, but if they are true, then a pair of Oregon Corrections officers may indeed be receiving unfair treatment at the hands of the Oregon legal system the represent.
One other point is that if these corrections officers were in possession of marijuana, it should not be viewed as a huge violation of the law, as ordinary citizens are only cited with a fine for possession of up to an ounce.
In fact, the action would not be considered "criminal" under Oregon law. Maybe in this case, it relieves the stress generated by a career of watching criminals for a living. Or, maybe it was necessitated by a medical condition.
Perhaps the marijuana was discovered because the allegations from a prison inmate allowed police to enter their residence?
Here is the original story
Oregon State Police detectives arrested two Snake River Correctional Institution corrections officers on warrants stemming from an indictment filed with the Malheur County Circuit Court.
Correctional Officers Tomi Sue Fowler and James Matthew Fowler were arrested at the couple's residence located in Ontario, Oregon on August 30th.
The indictment charges Tomi Fowler with the crimes of Unlawful Manufacture of Marijuana, Custodial Sexual Misconduct in the First Degree, Custodial Sexual Misconduct in the Second Degree, Supplying Contraband, and Official Misconduct in the Second Degree.
The Malheur County District Attorney's Office says the crimes involving Custodial Sexual Misconduct and Official Misconduct allege that she had a sexual relationship with an inmate at the Snake River Correctional Institution.
The Supplying Contraband charge alleges that she introduced contraband by bringing diet pills into the institution. The Unlawful Manufacture of Marijuana charge relates to marijuana plants found by the Oregon State Police during the execution of a search warrant at the Fowler residence.
James Fowler is charged with a single count of Unlawful Manufacture of Marijuana relating to the marijuana plants found in the residence.
Tomi Fowler was hired as a correctional officer on February 16th, 1999. She was placed on paid administrative leave on June 9th, 2007 after officials learned of the allegations against her.
James Fowler was hired as a correctional officer on August 28th, 2000 and was still employed at the time of his arrest.
Officials from the Snake River Correctional Institution contacted the Oregon State Police after they learned of allegation that Tomi Sue Fowler had engaged in sexual activity with an inmate of the institution.
(NEW COMMENTS) Oregon Snake River Correctional Officers ArrestedSalem-News.com