Inmate crawled past officer to rape woman in jail intake, police say

PHOENIX (KPHO/Gray News) - A man already facing charges for a string of sexual assaults is accused of attempting to rape a woman while in custody.

Justin Avery was arrested on April 11, after allegedly assaulting five women near Arizona State University’s Tempe campus.

Just days later while he was waiting to see a judge, jail video shows Avery sneaking past a Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office Detention officer before grabbing a woman sleeping on the ground at the Intake Transfer and Processing Facility in Phoenix.

Authorities said Avery crawled on the ground before groping the woman and pulling down his pants.

Court paperwork reveals a woman sitting nearby started screaming for him to get off the victim.

The video shows him gesturing for her to be quiet and that is when the officer intervenes.

“What we have here is a failure on the part of the deputies to do their job properly using the technology they have,” said Stan Kephart, a former Arizona police chief.

Avery later admitted to detectives he “snuck over like a spider” and intended to rape the victim, according to court paperwork.

Kephart said the incident is concerning and highlights a major system failure.

“He is a sexual assaulter. That is what he does. Knowing that, he should bear special watching under these conditions,” said Kephart.

A sheriff’s office spokesperson said the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office is “appalled” by Avery’s actions and this was a “unique incident” and the first of its kind since the facility opened.

“We acted immediately, adding mirrors for better monitoring in the blind spots that were identified. In addition, a review of our current procedures was completed to ensure best practices are being implemented. The safety of staff and inmates is our top priority, and we’re committed to ensuring this doesn’t happen again. Inmate Avery has been reclassified due to his institutional behavior,” the spokesperson said.

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