Second person charged with having sex with Durham County inmate

Durham County officials have arrested a second person accused of having sex with an inmate at the Durham County Detention Center.

The Sheriff's Office charged Lerin Burnette with sexual conduct by a person having custody of a victim in a government facility, a Class E felony.

According to the sheriff, Burnette was employed by a contract vendor. She no longer works at the prison.

“I will not tolerate any activity that is contrary to our mission of caring for and protecting those incarcerated in the detention center,” said Durham County Sheriff Clarence Birkhead. “Whether it is an employee of the sheriff's office or a contractor, we must demand high standards of everyone who interacts with our residents.”

On Monday, prison guard Jade Shanicia Lanique Robertson was arrested for violating a North Carolina law that prohibits sexual conduct by anyone who has custody of a victim in a state facility. Robertson worked as a prison guard at the Durham County Detention Center. Birkhead immediately fired Robertson.

Public documents accuse both Robertson and Burnette of having sex with the inmate, which the documents say happened on the same day.

Burnette was examined by a judge and released on $25,000 unsecured bail.