3 Deputies Suspended
Arapahoe also makes jail changes after man, girl were put in cell
By Mike Patty, News Staff Writer
Originally published in the Rocky Mountain News, March 13, 2002
ARAPAHOE COUNTY — Three sheriff's deputies have been suspended and a number of jail procedures changed because a 16-year-old girl was put in a holding cell with a suspected rapist last month.
One male and one female deputy will be suspended without pay for a week and placed on probation for one year, said Undersheriff Grayson Robinson. Both deputies, who were not identified, have been with the department since 1986.
A third male deputy, with the department since 1993, was suspended without pay for 20 hours.
"We now believe we have taken decisive action to resolve this situation and prevent it from happening again," Robinson said.
The mistake happened Feb. 28, when the girl was placed in a holding cell that deputies thought was empty. They failed to notice that Gerald DeWayne Lewis, 34, was sleeping under a bunk and had pulled a blanket over the side of the bed to block out light and noise.
Lewis was in jail in connection with molesting a 16-year-old baby sitter at Grace United Methodist Church in Denver earlier that month. He is also the key suspect in rapes at Rangeview Middle School and West Middle School.
Lewis is being held on $10 million bond because of his alleged potential danger to juvenile girls.
Robinson said the girl was alone in the cell with Lewis for about 40 minutes before deputies discovered the mistake. Authorities said Lewis fondled the girl, but declined to press charges, citing lack of evidence.
As a result of the incident, the following procedural changes have been made at the jail:
Juveniles who must be held temporarily will be housed in an area designated for juveniles only.
By April 10, 2002, the soon-to-open Juvenile Assessment Center of the jail will be used exclusively to house juveniles awaiting court proceedings.
The court will be asked to house juvenile inmates at the Foote Juvenile Detention Facility when the sheriff's office facility is at capacity.
Inmates will have to return any blankets they have been given when being removed from a holding cell.
