On June 21, 2018, a Corrections Officer received a telephone call from a family member of Teresa M. Guzman, 36, of the 3300 block of Judy Lane, Park City. When the call was received, Guzman was an inmate at the Lake County Jail (held on residential burglary charges). The family member of Guzman informed Corrections staff that Guzman was sexually assaulted by a female Corrections Officer during a pat-down.
As the Lake County Jail is a certified Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) Facility, PREA protocols were initiated and immediate notification was made to PREA trained Sheriff’s Detectives.
Sheriff’s Detectives learned the alleged incident occurred in the Jail Library. Guzman provided a recorded statement to Sheriff’s Detectives indicating she was inappropriately touched in her groin area by the Corrections Officer who patted her down, prior to her leaving the Jail Library.
Sheriff’s Detectives obtained video surveillance of the incident from the Jail Library. The video surveillance captured the entire encounter between Guzman and the Corrections Officer. The video contradicted Guzman’s allegation and showed the Corrections Officer at no time made contact with Guzman’s groin area.
Guzman was re-interviewed by Sheriff’s Detectives and admitted to lying about the allegation. She indicated she didn’t care for the Corrections Officers, which prompted her to make the false allegation.
On July 6, 2018, Guzman was subsequently charged with Disorderly Conduct – Making a False Report to Police (Class 4 Felony). Her bond on the new charge was set at $100,000.00. Guzman is due in court on July 12, 2018, at 9:00AM in courtroom C-202.
Sheriff Mark Curran said, “Being a Correctional Officer is arguably one of the hardest jobs in society. They often face verbal abuse, physical abuse, and false allegations. Our Correctional Officers are held to a high standard of accountability and we will pursue charges against anyone who assaults them or makes false allegations against them.”
Sheriff Curran reminds the public the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.