Ex-Suffolk Correction Officer Sentenced for Sex Crime

A former Suffolk County correction officer was sentenced Tuesday to 18 months in jail for sexually assaulting an inmate while on duty at the Riverhead Correctional Facility.

Jason Middleton, 37, of Central Islip, was sentenced after pleading guilty in June to Criminal Sexual Act in the Third Degree, a Class E felony, and Official Misconduct, a Class A misdemeanor, according to Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney.

Middleton began working as a correction officer at the Riverhead facility in 2019 and was responsible for guarding inmates.

According to court documents and Middleton’s admission during his guilty plea, between June 5th and August 14th, 2023, Middleton escorted an inmate to a utility walkway between jail cells that he knew was a blind spot outside the coverage of security cameras.

Once inside the area, Middleton closed the door and ordered the inmate to perform oral sex on him. The inmate complied, prosecutors said.

Members of the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Public Corruption Squad arrested Middleton on November 24th, 2023. The Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office subsequently suspended him without pay.

“This defendant took advantage of the trust placed with him to commit an outrageous abuse of power and a serious crime,” Tierney said. “My office will continue to prosecute such cases vigorously to safeguard the public’s trust.”

Middleton pleaded guilty before Acting Supreme Court Justice Karen M. Wilutis on June 26. He resigned from county employment as part of the plea agreement. Wilutis sentenced Middleton to one year and six months in jail. Middleton will also be required to register as a sex offender.

The case was prosecuted by Deputy Bureau Chief Laura de Oliveira and Bureau Chief Kevin Ward of the District Attorney’s Public Corruption Bureau. Middleton was represented by attorney James Pascarella.