Sex act with inmate results in arrest

A female corrections officer for the Nevada Department of Corrections has been arrested for allegedly engaging in a sex act with a prison inmate.

Ann Marie Weaver, 35, of Dayton was booked into the Carson City Jail about 7 p.m. Monday on suspicion of felony voluntary sexual conduct. The arrest was made by investigators from the Inspector General's Office of the Nevada Department of Corrections.

Weaver, who has worked for the department since 1992, was assigned to the Northern Nevada Correctional Center in Carson City. She was fired from her position as a visiting-room officer because of the charge, according to Glen Whorton, assistant director of operations for the Department of Corrections.

She was questioned by investigators Monday afternoon and then arrested, Whorton said.

He declined to identify the inmate or the charge for which he is incarcerated. Under Nevada law, it is illegal for both a prisoner and an employee of the institution to engage in sexual conduct. Whorton said it's likely, pending the outcome of the investigation, that the inmate will be charged as well. If convicted, Weaver could face up to four years in prison.

The case will be handled by the Attorney General's Office, Whorton said.

Prison officials are still investigating an August case at the Nevada Women's Prison in North Las Vegas in which a female inmate became pregnant after sex with at least one guard.

"We have to wait until the baby is born before we can determine who is responsible for this," said Whorton. "There are people who are suspect. They do not work there anymore."

The guards involved were employed by Corrections Corporation of America, which operates the North Las Vegas facility under contract.

The most embarrassing case for the state occurred when Brenda Burns resigned as warden at Northern Nevada Correctional Center in 1995 amid allegations she had a sexual relationship with a male inmate. She and Eugene Pizzetta later confirmed the relationship, married, and opened a pastry shop in downtown Carson City. They divorced two years later.

In addition, the Southern Nevada juvenile prison at Summit View was shut down two years ago after numerous security and operational problems with its private contractor, Correctional Services Corp.

Most publicized of those problems were allegations that male prison guards were having sex with teenage male prisoners.

The state is preparing to reopen that facility as a state-run prison.