Ex-jail officer pleads guilty to sex assault

AUGUSTA – A former sergeant at the Kennebec County jail pleaded guilty Monday to having sex with a female inmate while he was on duty.

Roger Lee Bellavance, 36, of Rome was sentenced to 364 days in jail, with all but 20 days suspended, and one year probation, the Kennebec Journal reported.

Bellavance, who worked at the Kennebec County Correctional Facility from 1993 to 2001, was indicted last June for gross assault involving a woman who was in custody. The indictment said the act occurred Sept. 15, 2001. Bellavance agreed to plead guilty to a lesser charge of unlawful sexual contact.

District Attorney Evert Fowle and Bellavance’s defense attorney, Walter McKee, said the act was consensual.

The victim, who is back in jail on a charge of probation violation and was not at the hearing, told the attorneys she wanted Bellavance to serve little or no jail time.