The lawsuit was filed in county court in September but was reassigned to the U. District Court of Arizona earlier this month. Attorneys for the woman did not respond to an interview request, and the Department of Corrections declined to comment. The sexual assault, which has not been publicly reported by the department or news outlets, happened on September 28, , inside the Rincon Unit of the Tucson prison complex.
The suspect, Demarco Hines, has been charged with multiple felonies, including kidnapping and sexual assault. At the time of the assault, Hines was classified as a level-four inmate β the second-highest risk designation and just below maximum security.
His prison disciplinary file includes more than 20 infractions, including previously stalking staff, fighting, and indecent exposure. The lawsuit claims Hines was left unsupervised for roughly 30 minutes by corrections officers as he was sweeping the dining area.
Inmate Hines began to choke Plaintiff and threatened to kill her if she yelled again. Plaintiff screamed and begged Inmate Hines to stop. Inmate Hines choked [the victim] and restricted her airway until she lost consciousness. Inmate Hines violent sexually assaulted Plaintiff. Submit your news tip to Investigators abc This administration is committed to ensuring that all individuals feel safe coming forward to report any incident.
Previous news investigations have highlighted the dangers of poor staffing levels , how inmates run prison units , and other attacks against civilian employees. As an example, in January , an inmate and convicted sex offender stabbed and sexually assaulted a female teacher at ASPC-Eyman after the inmate was left with the teacher unsupervised.
