A trial date will be announced soon in the $2.3 million lawsuit filed by two of six women sexually abused by former Cochise County jail chaplain Doug Packer inside the jail between 2014 and 2019.
Judge Jeffrey Sklar of the Pima County Superior Court will preside over a June 17 trial setting hearing in the case which pits two inmates against Packer and his one-time boss, Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels. The jury trial could begin in late 2022 although early 2023 is more likely, according to the court’s calendar
Packer was arrested in early January 2019 after two female inmates notified jail officials they had been forced to engage in sexual contact in the chaplain’s office. He is serving a 15-year prison sentence as part of a plea deal in which he admitted to a multitude of sexual offenses against inmates, including kidnap by restraint and rape.
Sklar had planned to hold a trial setting hearing in March but the parties asked for a delay while they worked to meet various deadlines in the case. One of those is a May 10 deadline for the attorneys to complete depositions of the parties, lay witnesses, and expert witnesses. There must also be a court-ordered private mediation no later than June 6.
Packer served as Cochise County’s jail chaplain from 2012 until his arrest at his home. Evidence collected from his home and office, including DNA, corroborated the allegations put forth by the two women. Investigators then spent weeks interviewing dozens of women who had been jailed while Packer served as chaplain. Six women ended up named as victims in Packer’s plea deal.
Cochise County rejected a $2.3 million notice of claim from the two women involved in the January 2019 offenses. Once the lawsuit was filed, the county’s presiding judge transferred to case to Pima County.
Dannels’ answer to the lawsuit denies any knowledge of Packer’s sexual misconduct or the chaplain’s propensity for engaging in such activities until Packer was arrested. Packer and his ex-wife are also named in the women’s lawsuit although neither has filed an answer with the court.
The Arizona Department of Corrections shows Packer’s tentative release date as November 2031. He will then serve lifetime probation and must register as a sex offender.
MORE ABOUT PACKER’S CRIMES HERE