![]() Legacy administrators announced they had fired Klein after he was indicted last year. He resigned from the Oregon Department of Corrections amid a criminal investigation - and then went to work at one of Legacy Health’s Portland-area hospitals. The allegations against Klein at Coffee Creek surfaced in late 2017. Washington County prosecutors reported that they saw conflicting evidence. But her account was lost and was never considered by local prosecutors they looked at the case against Klein, but ultimately decided not to bring charges. Wilson was formerly incarcerated at Coffee Creek Correctional Facility, and told state detectives in 2018 that she was sexually assaulted during an appointment for an X-ray.Īfter Wilson made her report she spoke to Oregon State Police. “That shouldn’t happen.”Ĭonnie Wilson, at her home in Lincoln City in November 2021. “Why did he have a chance to get to me?” Wilson said. She may also testify against Klein at this month’s trial. Wilson said Klein used that sense of trust and rapport to touch her between her legs during what was supposed to be an appointment to get an X-ray. “He was goofy looking, but he was kind enough to make us comfortable, to make us feel like we’re human, to talk to us one on one and you know, BS and kid around,” Wilson said. Other women did report their allegations of mistreatment to prison staff.Ĭonnie Wilson told OPB that compared to correctional officers or other prison employees, Klein was kind. Women in custody have little power compared to staff, and she said she feared any response could delay her release from prison. “Taking women in that situation and creating more trauma for women that have already experienced some of the most horrific things is baffling,” she said. Whipple said women at Coffee Creek can’t be rehabilitated when the prison system is causing more pain. The Oregon Department of Corrections determined the allegations against Klein are unsubstantiated, meaning the prison conducted its own internal investigation and cannot say one way or another if the incidents occurred. But just 6% of cases led to a legal punishment like a guilty plea, a conviction or even a fine. Prison employees were arrested in about one-third of the cases brought against them. That means investigators determined the incidents occurred. Bureau of Justice Statistics report released in January. Nationally, there were 2,229 substantiated incidents of correctional staff sexually assaulting or harassing people in custody between 20, according to a U.S. A 2012 federal report found 86% of women in jail experienced sexual violence in their lifetimes - about twice the rate of the general population.Īt the same time, accountability can be challenging. The rates of women in custody who say they experienced sexual assault before incarceration is alarmingly high. The appointment ended abruptly when another nurse walked in the exam room, Whipple said. “He grabbed my hand and put my hand on his erect penis.” “He started, like, blowing in my ear and then kind of doing the kisses down the neck,” she said. She confirmed to OPB that she’s part of the federal government’s case against Klein.ĭuring one exam, Whipple alleged, Klein kissed her. Court documents refer to Klein’s alleged victims by number in order to protect their identities. Whipple has a heart condition that required regular visits to the infirmary where Klein worked. Lisa Whipple at her home in La Grande, Ore., in December 2021, says she never reported the sexual assault incidents she endured at Coffee Creek Correctional Facility out of fear it would delay her release from prison. “He told me I looked like I would be fun, implying that it would be fun to have sex with me,” said Lisa Whipple, who alleges Klein sexually assaulted her during a medical appointment while serving a drug related sentence at the state’s only prison for women. Many of the women he is accused of mistreating could testify. If convicted, Klein, 38, could face life in prison. The trial is expected to last three weeks. Video screenshot / Plaintiff deposition via Michelle Burrows In total, prosecutors accuse Klein of inappropriate contact with at least 20 women at Coffee Creek, where he worked from 2010 until early 2018 the allegations in the case stem from his last two years at the facility.įILE: Tony Klein was deposed in November 2019 as part of civil litigation involving 10 women incarcerated at Coffee Creek Correctional Facility who accused him of abuse. Department of Justice says Tony Klein violated the constitutional rights of women in prison.įederal prosecutors have alleged in court documents that Klein, while a nurse at the Coffee Creek Correctional Facility, subjected incarcerated women to cruel and usual punishment through conduct that ranged from inappropriately touching them over their clothes to sexual assault. A former nurse for the Oregon Department of Corrections is set to go to trial Monday in federal court in Portland.
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