Last Friday Pierce County Prosecutor Mark Lindquist charged Jason Pardes with one count of custodial sexual misconduct in the first degree. Pardes, 29, is a Pierce County Corrections Deputy accused of having sexual contact with an inmate.

“Under Washington law, jail guards cannot have sex with inmates. Period,” said Prosecutor Mark Lindquist. “Consent is not a defense.”

On August 21, an inmate at the Washington State Purdy Correctional Facility claimed that she was forced to perform oral sex on a corrections deputy at the Pierce County Jail the prior month. She identified the corrections deputy as Jason Pardes and provided law enforcement with a shirt she said had semen on it from the incident. Law enforcement examined the shirt and found two areas of the shirt with stains. The shirt will undergo further forensic testing, including DNA analysis.

On August 22, Pardes was shown a picture of the Purdy inmate who claimed he forced her to perform oral sex. He emphasized to investigators that he never had sex with “that” inmate. When confronted about the semen on the shirt, the defendant eventually told detectives that although he never had sex with the Purdy inmate who reported the contact, he did have sex with an inmate identified as Y.L. at the Pierce County jail on July 30, 2017.

Pardes initially told investigators someone called his home and told him if he didn’t give them something his family would be harmed. He claimed Y.L. was behind the threat and out of fear for his family he went into the bathroom, while on duty, and ejaculated on the shirt.

Upon further questioning, Pardes admitted that no one called his house. He still claimed his family was threatened by Y.L. so he gave in to her demands and allowed her to perform oral sex on him.

On August 23, Y.L. told investigators she gave oral sex to Pardes twice. She said it wasn’t forced.

Bail was set at $1,000,000.00.

Charges are only allegations and a person is presumed innocent unless he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.