A prisoner-transport officer faces several charges, including for sexual assault, after three female inmates said he assaulted them while taking them to jails in Arizona and New Mexico, federal officials said.
Eric Scott Kindley, 49, a prisoner-transport officer, was arrested in Stockton, California on charges related to sexually assaulting females in his custody, and threatening them with a firearm while doing so. During his initial appearance, a federal judge in Sacramento, California ordered that Kindley be detained over the weekend, pending potential transport to Phoenix, Arizona, from where the complaint was issued.
According to court documents, Kindley operates Special Operations Group 6, a company that contracts with local jails throughout the country to transport individuals who have been arrested on out-of-state warrants. The probable cause affidavit alleges that from January through May of this year, Kindley engaged in sexual misconduct in his Dodge Caravan with three different female prisoners during three different transports. The transports were from California to Arizona, Alabama to Arizona, and Mississippi to New Mexico. In each instance, the victim was handcuffed and restrained, and taken to secluded locations where Kindley sexually assaulted her. All the while, Kindley threatened each victim with his firearm and warned them that he will get away with his conduct because no one will believe them.
The probable cause affidavit further alleges that during the transports, Kindley bragged to the victims about sexually assaulting other female prisoners during prior transports.
This investigation remains ongoing. Anyone with additional information is encouraged to call the Phoenix Division of the FBI at (623) 466-1999, or can email the Civil Rights Division at the Department of Justice at Prisoner.Transfer@usdoj.gov.