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A female Cook County Jail guard has resigned after being charged with having a sexual relationship with a male inmate.

Lotisha Myers, 47, was arrested Wednesday evening after a weeklong internal investigation at the jail, according to the Cook County Sheriff’s Office. The longtime correctional officer had sexual contact with a 29-year-old man who is being held without bail on drug charges, according to the charges and court records.

She also had phone calls “with sexual connotations” with the inmate, who is housed in Division II, a minimum and medium-security area of the jail, according to the charges.

Myers is charged with felony custodial sexual misconduct and was released on a personal recognizance bond.

An internal investigation was opened Feb. 4 after investigators learned of a “potentially inappropriate relationship” between a guard and detainee, according to the sheriff’s office. After her arrest, Myers admitted having sexual contact with the detainee, according to the charges.

Myers, a correctional officer since 2003, served in the U.S. Navy, according to her attorney.

“She’s a decent woman. She has an excellent record of service to our country, and it’s unfortunate that she’s involved in this mess,” her attorney, Robert Habib, said in a phone interview.

Her arrest comes some eight months after another Cook County correctional officer was arrested for smuggling marijuana and other contraband into the jail. Jermaine Hoskins, 38, pleaded guilty last month and was sentenced to 21/2 years of probation and 100 hours’ community service, according to court records.

Source: Chicago Tribune