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Loudoun Co. sheriff’s deputy charged with having sex with inmate

A veteran Loudoun County, Virginia, sheriff’s office correctional deputy is due in court Tuesday morning, charged with having sex with an inmate.

The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office and charging documents allege 30-year-old Mason Zimmerman, who has been a correctional deputy for the past eight years, had sex Friday with a female inmate at the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center, located in Leesburg.

Zimmerman is charged with carnal knowledge of a prisoner by an officer — a Class 6 felony, Virginia’s least serious felony offense. A conviction could include one to five years in prison and a fine of $2,500.

Zimmerman was arraigned Monday, and held in the Alexandria City Adult Detention Center until Tuesday’s bond hearing.

In a news release, the sheriff’s office said Zimmerman has been fired.

According to a description of a 2003 federal law on the county’s website, The Prison Rape Elimination Act, which addresses both inmate-to-inmate sexual assault and staff-to-inmate sexual assault, “The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office has Zero-Tolerance in support of the guidelines outlined in this law.”

Virginia lawmaker Dan Helmer sues for $15 million over sexual assault allegations

Del. Dan Helmer, D-Fairfax, is hitting back. Months after facing sexual assault allegations that surfaced just days before his congressional primary, Helmer has filed a $15 million defamation lawsuit, claiming the accusations were politically motivated and knowingly false. Helmer, who came in second in a crowded nomination contest to represent Virginia’s 10th District last June, was accused of groping a woman six years ago — allegations first reported by NOTUS and linked to members of the Loudoun County Democratic Committee (LCDC). The report suggested that the claims led the local party to implement a sexual harassment policy.
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