Ex-detentions deputy pleads no contest to sex with inmates

A former detentions deputy pleaded no contest Tuesday to four counts of sexual activity with inmates, according to Kern County Superior Court, and he is to be sentenced Nov. 23.

Recently obtained court documents detail the multiple women investigators said Brandon Lawrence either kissed or engaged in sex acts with from 2020 until mid-2021 in the Lerdo Pre-Trial Facility.

Some of the sex acts were consensual, though California penal codes prohibit prison guards from having sex with inmates.

A cellmate bragged about engaging in sex with an officer to other inmates, according to Kern County Sheriff’s Office reports filed in court. One inmate recalled Lawrence grabbing her around the waist, and she wanted to sock him, these documents state.

Another inmate began to cry when asked about Lawrence’s behavior and admitted they had engaged in sex acts, according to the KCSO reports filed in court. She felt disgusted after the incident, according to the court documents.

“He’s not a good guy,” said another interviewed in the reports filed in court by the KCSO. “He probably should be fired and he took advantage of a lot of the girls. He’s not material for the Sheriff’s.”

Deputies interviewed Lawrence, who stated he messaged some inmates from a fake Facebook account, the court documents stated. He researched the release date of a woman inmate, who he thought was attractive, according to the deputies’ interview with him in the court documents.

Lawrence aimed to contact them for “sexual pleasures,” he said in the KCSO reports filed in court.

Lawrence also admitted to having a “sexual encounter” with an inmate, according to KCSO reports. He said these sex acts happened twice, or three times, the court documents said.

The documents also contain handwritten messages Lawrence gave to the inmates detailing his apologies. He also wished them the best in life, according to the reports.

Lawrence also began to cry during his interview and said he never contacted the females outside the jail. He also said the low staffing at the jail contributed to his actions, and he would have never engaged in these acts if he had worked alongside another deputy at the jail, according to the KCSO documents filed in court.

The detentions deputy then turned in his badge, the KCSO report said.