Dublin: Ex-federal prison guard agrees to plea deal with prosecutors in sexual abuse case
OAKLAND — Days before he was brought up on federal charges of sexually abusing an incarcerated woman, a former chaplain at Dublin’s federal prison agreed to plead guilty to a federal offense, according to new court filings.
James T. Highhouse was charged Jan. 18 with four counts of sexually abusing a woman in FCI Dublin, and one count of lying about it to the FBI. But four days before filing the charges, federal prosecutors agreed to a plea deal with Highhouse. Details of the deal haven’t been released, though he is expected to plead guilty to at least one charge, records show.
Highhouse faces up to 15 years in federal prison if convicted of sexual abuse, but federal sentencing guidelines will place him in a much lower range. His change-of-plea hearing is set for Feb. 23, court records show.
The charging documents allege that Highhouse abused a single victim during a time period that started in May 15, 2018 and ended Feb. 9, 2019, according to court records. Less than two weeks later, on Feb. 21, 2019, Highhouse allegedly lied to the FBI and Office of the Inspector General.
Highhouse’s arrest is only the latest black mark for the prison, which since last June has seen four former employees, including the ex-warden, Ray J. Garcia, charged with sexual abuse of incarcerated women. The criminal complaint against Garcia alleges that he warned his victim not to report the abuse, explaining he was friends with the employee who’d be in charge of investigating it.
Last week, Congressman Eric Swalwell, a Democrat who represents the Tri-Valley area, told the news station KTVU he is “deeply concerned” about the pattern of sexual abuse allegations at the prison and added, “I look forward to hearing more from the Justice Department’s Office of the Inspector General regarding the full extent of the problem.”
The OIG began investigating the prison after the alleged sexual abuse was reported, but thus far has not publicly released the results of any audits.
At this point, it is unclear whether federal authorities will seek Highhouse’s cooperation against other current or former employees suspected of sexual abuse at the prison.