ST. LOUIS — A former Ferguson corrections officer faces felony charges and a lawsuit for allegedly having sex with a pregnant inmate and allowing her to escape.

Jaris Hayden, 29, will be arraigned Dec. 3 on charges of acceding to corruption by a public servant, permitting escape and two counts of sexual contact with a prisoner. His attorney, Scott Rosenblum, said Hayden posted $10,000 bond and intends to plead not guilty.

The incident allegedly happened Oct. 9, 2013. Hayden was indicted by a grand jury this month, and the woman filed her lawsuit against Hayden on Friday in federal court.

According to the woman’s lawsuit, she was taken to jail for driving with expired license plates and giving the officer a false name. The suit said Hayden took her to a boiler room at the jail and forced her to have sex, then set her free out a side door. The criminal case is different in that it alleges that Hayden accepted the woman’s offer to perform sex acts in exchange for allowing her to escape.


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