Monday, January 2, 2013

The new sheriff of Sedgwick County is releasing more information in the recent arrest of a detention deputy.

In a briefing Wednesday morning, Sheriff Jeff Easter said Detention Deputy James Conklin was arrested for lewd fondling after complaints by two separate male inmates.

Following an investigation, Conklin was charged last week with two counts of unlawful sexual relations.

The alleged fondling occurred in October at the work release center on McLean. The inmates making the allegations both live at the facility and have to check in each night. Both men also stay in the same dorm-type room. More than 150 inmates live there.

Conklin, a 19-year veteran of the sheriff's department, has been suspended without pay.

Another detention deputy was arrested last June for similar crimes. That man, David Kendall, is expect in a court today for a preliminary hearing.

KAKE's Deb Farris is working on this story and will have more soon on kake.com and later KAKE newscasts.