Second person files lawsuit in Chillicothe Correctional Center sexual assault case

A second woman filed charged against a Chillicothe Correctional Center prison guard for sexually assaulting her, and the guard is still employed by the women’s prison.

Lynnsey Betz was incarcerated in 2016 for non-violent offenses, and that’s when the assault allegedly began. According to the lawsuit, multiple employees within the facility knew of the assaults, including the corrections officer, his supervisor and other Department of Corrections officials. And another inmate apparently witnessed one of the assaults.

Karen Keil already filed charges against the same guard and other prison officials as well as her therapist whom she says also assaulted her after she confided in him about the assault.

Both women in the case said the prison has a policy that places offenders in solitary confinement if they say they’ve been assaulted by prison employees.

“Fear of being put in the ‘hole,’ with no contact with family, discourages women from coming forward when they are the victims of sexual assaults in prison,” said Professor Susan McGraugh, one of the women’s attorneys, in a press release.