Jail contractor employee accused of making sexual advances toward inmates

An employee of a food service contractor at the Sedgwick County Jail was arrested Friday after being accused of making sexual advances toward inmates.

Timothy M. Kaneer, 30, was booked into jail shortly after 11 a.m. on suspicion of two counts of aggravated battery, two counts of sexual battery and two counts of mistreatment of a confined person, according to the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office and jail records.

The allegations stem from accusations made against Kaneer by two inmates and span from June 20 to July 16, the Sheriff’s Office said. Authorities learned of the alleged crimes after one of the inmates lodged a complaint on July 17, accusing Kaneer of making sexual comments to him and touching him, Lt. Lin Dehning said in an e-mailed response to questions about the case posed by The Eagle on July 18.

“Unfortunately this incident occurred and we’ll have to take action to make some corrections so it won’t occur in the future,” said Sheriff Jeff Easter at a news conference Friday.

CBM Managed Services, the food service contractor, started at the prison in April. Kaneer is not a Sheriff’s Office employee.

The two inmates had worked in a food service training program alongside CBM employees. They did not immediately report the allegations because they wanted to remain in the job training program, Easter said. Their injuries included cuts and bruises, some caused by a broom handle, he said.

“It got to the point where this individual was acting out upon them and was causing more injury, and that’s what brought them forward,” Easter said.

At the time, Dehning said a jail staff member would look into the report and turn it over to Sheriff’s Office investigators for further review if they found criminal activity could have occurred.

“Following a thorough investigation it was determined that probable cause existed to make the arrest,” Dehning said Friday.

The Sheriff’s Office is now evaluating whether additional cameras are needed in the kitchen and whether a deputy should always be present.

Detectives plan to present their findings to the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office for possible criminal charges next week, Dehning said.

Kaneer remained in custody at the jail on Friday afternoon, according to jail records.

This story was originally published July 28, 2017 at 3:01 PM with the headline "Jail contractor employee accused of making sexual advances toward inmates."