COLUMBIA, Miss.–Having a sexual relationship with an inmate is illegal if you are a police officer. Four former policemen in Columbia were indicted this week on charges that had sex with inmate Rhianna Nichols last year. The charges could land the men in prison if they are found guilty.
The indictment says Vasan Josea Oatis had a relationship with Nichols while she was on work detail at Columbia City Hall.
Three others, Richard Pack; Shawn Williams; and Justin Codey Herrington, are charged with having sex with Nichols while she was on post-release supervision, said District Atty. Hal Kittrell.
WDAM reported Herrington resigned from Columbia PD in July last year, while Oatis and Pack quit in August. Williams was fired in August.
The indictment says some of the sexual activity may have started as early as October 2013 and continued last spring.
Oatis and Herrington face trial in October. Pack and Williams will be in court for an arraignment in June.
Each man could get five years in prison. The MBI was called in to investigate once the allegations came to light. The investigation has taken about a year.
