SANTA CRUZ—A Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s deputy assigned as a correctional officer in the jail has been arrested for allegedly having a sexual relationship win an inmate, Sheriff’s spokeswoman Ashley Keehn announced Saturday.
Jessica Smith was charged with sexual activity with an inmate, assault by a public officer and unauthorized computer access. She was booked into Santa Cruz County Jail, but was not in custody Sunday, jail records showed.
According to Keehn, the investigation began in July when detectives received information that Smith was having an inappropriate relationship with an incarcerated person who was serving their sentence through the county’s Supervised Release program.
Smith has been employed with the Sheriff’s Office since 2015. She is now on administrative leave pending the completion of our administrative investigation, Keehn said.
