A group of former female inmates at the LaRue County Detention Center have reached a $1.1 million settlement after a jail employee sexually abused the women.
Jerome Perry, 43, of Vine Grove, pled guilty to two counts of third-degree rape and three counts of third-degree sodomy. He reached a plea deal in October 2019 where he agreed to serve 10 years, with eight of those years probated for five years if Perry meets several conditions.
The crimes took place between July 2018 and September 2018.
In February 2019, the nine former LaRue County Detention Center inmates filed a civil rights lawsuit in U.S. District Court accusing Perry of forcing the women to perform sex acts, trying to rape them and sexually abusing them. Former Jailer Johnny Cottrill and seven other deputies were named as defendants in the suit.
“Some of the abuse was apparent on security cameras but no one was watching,” Al Gerhardstein, an attorney for the plaintiffs said when announcing the settlement. “Hopefully, this case will push the county to improve monitoring.”
The women who brought the suit are not identified by name in court documents.
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
