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A former state prison guard has been charged with sexually assaulting three women inmates.
An Oahu grand jury returned an indictment Tuesday charging Brent Baumann with eight counts of sexual assault between March and December 2015.
Four of the charges are class B felonies punishable by up to 10 years in prison. The other four are class C felonies punishable by up to five years in prison. The state may seek extended sentencing, which doubles the maximum terms, if he is found guilty of more than one charge.
Under state law, a state correctional facility employee who has sex with an inmate may be charged with sexual assault regardless of whether the act is consensual.
State Circuit Judge
Colette Garibaldi set Baumann’s bail at $100,000.
The state Department of Public Safety said it employed Baumann from February 2014 to March 2017 and that he was a corrections officer at the Women’s Community Correctional Center in Kailua.
Two of the women are still incarcerated at WCCC. The third is on parole.
