Corrections Officer Charged With Attempted Sexual Assault Of Inmate

Milwaukee County Jail. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.

A corrections officer working in the Milwaukee County Jail has been arrested and charged with attempted second-degree sexual assault.

Devon Winbush, 29, was arrested at the jail on Monday, May 29 by investigators with the Milwaukee County Sheriff‘s Office (MCSO). The Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office filed charges against Winbush Friday.

The alleged attempted assault, which was perpetrated against an inmate in the jail, according to the sheriff’s office, is a Class 3 felony carrying a potential penalty of up to $50,000 in fines and up to 20 years of imprisonment.

“The Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office is committed to holding itself accountable,” Sheriff Denita Ball said in a statement. “I have said before and mean it more than ever that no one –especially a member of this or any other criminal justice agency– is above the law. This former officer is alleged to have broken the law and to have violated the trust put in him to protect the wellbeing of our occupants. He will face consequences as determined by a judge or a jury.”

Winbush was hired in July 2022 and is still in the probationary period of employment. He was fired by the sheriff’s office after his arrest Monday.

Another correctional officer was criminally charged in April related to the in-custody death of 49-year-old Octaviano Juarez-Corro, who is reported to have died by apparent suicide. The officer, Laquisha N. Cowser, 32, is alleged to have falsified a report that she conducted a safety check on Juarez0-Corro around the time of his death. Cowser has been relieved of duty without pay pending the outcome of her case.

The Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors recently passed legislation setting in motion a massive request for information from the MCSO on everything from suicide prevention policies to organizational structure in the jail.