Male inmate 'raped female inmate' after another inmate freed him from his Missouri jail cell using stolen key that guard mistakenly left in a door
- Dontae Jefferson, 29, of Kansas City, is charged with burglary and sexual abuse in connection to the August 26 attack, authorities said
- Incident came to light after another female inmate alleged that she was assaulted in her cell, leading to an investigation
- Surveillance video shows an inmate obtaining keys mistakenly left in a cell door lock, police said in probable cause statement
- Inmate returned keys to the guard except for a cell key, and two days later let himself and Jefferson out of their cells
- Victim said her life has been 'in turmoil' and that she is 'praying those responsible will be held to a measure of justice'
A male inmate at a Missouri jail was charged on Wednesday with raping a female inmate after another inmate freed him from his cell using a key that a guard mistakenly left in a door.
Dontae Jefferson, 29, of Kansas City, is also charged with burglary and sexual abuse in connection with the August 26 attack, the Jackson County prosecutor's office said.
Last month, another female inmate alleged that she was assaulted in her cell at the Jackson County Regional Correctional Center, leading to an investigation into reports that three inmates had been wandering freely inside the jail.
Dontae Jefferson, 29, of Kansas City (pictured), is also charged with burglary and sexual abuse in connection with the August 26 attack, the Jackson County prosecutor's office said
Due to those reports, nearly two dozen female inmates were removed from the county-run facility, which houses adults who have been charged with Kansas City municipal violations.
An independent audit also has been ordered.
Surveillance video shows an inmate obtaining the keys that had been mistakenly left in a cell door lock, a Kansas City police detective said in the probable cause statement.
The inmate said he returned the keys to the guard, minus a cell key, and that two days later, he let himself and Jefferson out of their cells.
The guard admitted losing control of her keys but said they all were accounted for when they were returned, the statement said.
Last month, another female inmate alleged that she was assaulted in her cell at the Jackson County Regional Correctional Center (pictured), leading to an investigation into reports that three inmates had been wandering freely inside the jail
The detective wrote that the victim initially said a man had entered her cell and fondled her before he punched and strangled her when she pushed him away.
She said he then assaulted her before fleeing when he heard a whistle, though the statement did not say whether the stolen key had been used.
The woman told police that she believed the man was a guard.
When officers spoke to the victim again the next day at a hospital, she said she also had been raped and identified Jefferson as her attacker through a photo lineup.
Some of Jefferson's movements were captured on video, the probable cause statement said.
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The victim, who has since been released, said in a statement released through the prosecutor's office that her life has been 'in turmoil' and that she is 'praying those responsible will be held to a measure of justice.'
The prosecutor's office did not identify the woman because she is a sexual assault victim.
She also said in the statement that she would does not want to speak to the press.
At the time of the attack, Jefferson was being held in jail while awaiting trial for charges including first-degree murder and five other felonies in connection to an April 2014 attack, according to The Kansas City Star.
At the time of the attack, Jefferson was being held in jail while awaiting trial for charges including first-degree murder in connection to an April 2014 attack in which he allegedly shot Ka’Vyea Curry and paralyzed his 10-year-old son Ka’Vyea Tyson-Curry (the pair above)
In that incident, Jefferson is accused of shooting 34-year-old father Ka’Vyea Curry and paralyzing his 10-year-old son Ka’Vyea Tyson-Curry at a Missouri gas station.
In connection to the alleged rape, Jefferson has been charged with first-degree rape, first-degree burglary and two counts of first-degree sexual abuse.
No one else has been charged and the investigation is ongoing.
Online court records do not list an attorney for Jefferson, whose bond was set at $1 million.
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