SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) - A federal lawsuit filed Monday against four employees at the Logan Correctional Center, including the now-former warden, claims the prison's maintenance department was rife with sexual misconduct in which employees brought in things for inmates in exchange for sexual favors.
That lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court for the Central District of Illinois by a woman only identified as Jane Doe. She claims Milo Ziemer, a now-former prison electrician, sexually assaulted her between March 1 and July 5 in 2017. The lawsuit said she was assigned to work under Ziemer.
The woman claims Ziemer took her into a bathroom in the maintenance building and forced her to perform oral sex on him. The lawsuit said Ziemer continued to harass her, including forcing her to sit in his lap.
She also claims Ziemer threw a birthday party for her and illegally gave her balloons, cake, and a hair straightener. All would be considered contraband and not allowed for prisoners.Â
According to the lawsuit, Illinois State Police investigated the prison in June 2017 to investigate the maintenance department. The woman claims Ziemer and a plumbing supervisor threatened her to remain silent about what was happening in the maintenance department, including of what they said happens to inmates who talk.Â
The lawsuit then says a correctional officer told the woman he was going to transfer her to the prison in Decatur, despite her not wanting to go. He also allegedly said if she cooperated, he would have her transferred back to the Logan prison. The lawsuit says the woman believes this was in retaliation for information about her knowledge of what was happening in the maintenance department and complaints she had.
The woman suing says all this led to physical and psychological injuries, pain, suffering, severe mental distress, anguish and humiliation.
Now-former prison warden Margaret Burke and another correctional officer are also named in the lawsuit as people in positions of power during the time of these allegations. The lawsuit also says other as-yet-unidentified prison employees will also be sought.
The lawsuit said Milo Ziemer was charged in December 2017 with five counts of custodial misconduct at the prison. Two charges reportedly pertain to the woman in this lawsuit, and three others reportedly come from another incident reported in January 2017. A state database shows Ziemer has not received a paycheck from the state since March 2018.
WAND reached out to the Illinois Department of Corrections for comment but has yet to hear back.
This lawsuit was filed the same day a now-former Logan Correctional Center employee, Jeffrey Dozier, was arrested for allegedly engaging in sexual misconduct with a female inmate.
