A former Jefferson County correctional officer pleaded no contest Tuesday to harassment and official misconduct for grabbing a female inmate’s buttocks at the Jefferson County Jail.

Following Tuesday’s plea, Joshua Sutherlin, 36, of Prineville, was sentenced to 24 months of probation and five days in jail. Sutherlin will serve his jail sentence at the Deschutes County jail at the request of his attorney, Steven Myers, for safety reasons, considering his former employment as a jail officer in Jefferson County, Myers said.

Sutherlin was initially charged with two counts of custodial sexual misconduct and three counts of official misconduct.

Court documents filed with the initial charges say that between Aug. 1 and Sept. 13, 2016, Sutherlin kissed the inmate multiple times while he was on shift as a correctional officer at the Jefferson County Jail. The inmate told officers that during the kissing encounters, Sutherlin grabbed her buttocks and she had grabbed his groin, according to court documents.

During an investigation in November 2016, Sutherlin admitted to kissing and touching the inmate sexually, according to court documents. The documents also say Sutherlin chose specific locations for each encounter with the inmate because of his knowledge of the video surveillance system inside the jail.

Sutherlin’s misconduct at the jail was “stupid,” and he was terminated Sept. 30, 2016, shortly after the inmate’s initial claims surfaced, Jefferson County Sheriff Jim Adkins said.

The charges of custodial sexual misconduct and one count of official misconduct were dropped as part of a plea deal entered on Tuesday. Circuit Court Judge Daina Vitolins also granted Sutherlin unrestricted travel so that he could travel for work as a senior technician for a company that manufactures and services cremation machines.

Sutherlin was booked in Deschutes County jail Tuesday night.

— Reporter: 541-617-7829, acolosky@bendbulletin.com