Casper Woman Accused of Sex With CRC Inmate, Aiding Escapes
Prosecutors have charged a former Casper Re-Entry Center employee with four felony counts alleging that she maintained a sexual relationship with an inmate, then helped him and another inmate flee the facility last fall.
Shayne Bonita Jones faces two counts of second-degree sexual assault and two counts of aiding and abetting escape. She could be imprisoned for a term of four to sixty years if convicted of all charges.
According to charging papers filed in Natrona County Circuit Court, the Wyoming Department of Corrections began investigating the case on Oct. 9, 2017.
It was alleged that Jones, who was employed as a resident manager at CRC from July 17, 2017 through Oct. 12, 2017, had an inappropriate sexual relationship with an inmate who was incarcerated at CRC from Aug. 4, 2017 through Oct. 13, 2017.
In the affidavit of probable cause, an investigative sergeant wrote that Jones's responsibilities as a resident manager were essentially the same as those of a correctional officer.
On Oct. 11 and Oct. 12, 2017, Jones and the inmate were interviewed and denied the allegation. The next day, Jones went missing and the inmate escaped CRC, as did another inmate.
"It was subsequently confirmed that Jones aided the escape and provided her personal vehicle to drive and accompany them to Las Vegas, Nevada and then on to California," the affidavit reads in part.
The two inmates were later apprehended in California and returned to Wyoming, while Jones remained in California with one inmate's grandparents.
On Dec. 6-7, 2017, the inmate with whom Jones allegedly had a relationship was interviewed by investigators in Rawlins. He reportedly admitted that he had a sexual relationship with Jones, roughly in late September 2017.
The following day, investigators traveled to the home of that inmate's grandfather in Moreno Valley, California. Jones and her two young children were still living there, and Jones agreed to speak with investigators.
On January 13-14, 2018, Jones's incarcerated husband called her using an inmate phone. The call was recorded, and investigators reportedly learned that Jones was asked whether she had been unfaithful or had done something for which she might face criminal charges.
"There's always a possibility," Jones replied, adding that anything she said over the phone could incriminate her.
Through subsequent interviews, investigators gathered further evidence against Jones.
Jones on Tuesday waived her right to have a preliminary hearing held in the case. The matter will be bound over for trial in Natrona County District Court.
The names of the CRC inmates involved in the matter are redacted from the affidavit of probable cause; they are identified in that affidavit by their initials. However, two inmates with matching initials were reported to have escaped the facility on Oct. 13, 2017.
Public defender Dylan Rosalez on Tuesday asked that Judge Steven Brown reduce Jones's bond, which had initially been set at $25,000 cash or surety. Brown granted that request and set bond at $10,000 cash or surety.
Jones remained in custody at the time of Tuesday's court hearing. A district court arraignment will be scheduled at a later date.