Ex-correctional officer charged with sexually abusing 3 inmates in California federal prison cells

By MICHAEL BALSAMO and MICHAEL R. SISAK
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — A former correctional officer at a federal women’s prison in California where inmates say they were subjected to rampant sexual abuse has been arrested and accused of abusing three inmates. The Justice Department announced the charges Friday. Darrell Wayne Smith worked at the Federal Correctional Institution in Dublin and was arrested Thursday in Florida on a 12-count indictment. Smith is at least the sixth employee at the Dublin prison charged with abusing inmates. An Associated Press investigation last year revealed a culture of abuse and cover-up that had persisted for years at the prison, just east of Oakland. Smith’s lawyer hasn’t responded to a request for comment.