Indiana jail officer charged with sexually assaulting woman

VINCENNES, Ind. (AP) - A southwestern Indiana correctional officer has been arrested after a female inmate he was transporting accused him of assaulting her.

Malyk Jawaun Johnson, 23, of Montgomery was charged Wednesday with sexual battery, official misconduct and trafficking with an inmate, Indiana State Police said.

Johnson was assigned to pick up the 37-year-old woman at the Henderson County Jail in Henderson, Kentucky, on Feb. 17 and take her to Knox County to face local charges there, police said. While en route, he allegedly stopped at a gas station and bought the woman tobacco.

When the two entered Knox County, he allegedly pulled off on a rural road assaulted the woman, police said. The woman reported the incident to her attorney, who contacted prosecutors.

Johnson surrendered at the Knox County Jail before being taken to the Pike County Jail, where he was being held on bond.