LEONARDTOWN, Md. (June 21, 2009)—A St. Mary's County corrections officer on June 18 was charged via a district court criminal summons with having sexual contact with a confined inmate. Deborah Anne Bartholow, 44 of Mechanicsville, has been "suspended from her duties without pay pending the completion of this matter," according to a press release issued by the sheriff's office.
Bartholow has been a correctional officer for 4 years with the St. Mary's County Detention Center.
The maximum sentence for a person convicted of this offense is imprisonment not to exceed 3 years and a fine not to exceed $3,000 or both.
The St. Mary's County Office of Professional Responsibilities in cooperation with the St. Mary's County Bureau of Criminal investigations conducted a joint investigation into the allegation.