A Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s correctional officer has been arrested after she was accused of having an “inappropriate relationship” with an inmate.
Jessica Smith, 31, was arrested Friday on suspicion of sexual activity with an inmate, assault by a public officer and unauthorized computer access, the sheriff’s office announced Saturday in a news release.
Detectives started investigating Smith after receiving information about an improper relationship with an incarcerated person serving their sentence through a supervised release program.
Officials were alerted to Smith’s indiscretions in May, according to the sheriff’s office, which gave no further details, including the length of the officer-prisoner “relationship.”
The inmate has not been identified.
Smith, who has been with the sheriff’s office since 2015, is on administrative release pending completion of an investigation, the sheriff’s office said.