Two Former Texas Prison Guards Arrested for Sexually Assaulting Female Inmates at Medical Facility

Arrests Made After Months-Long Investigation

Two former Texas Department of Criminal Justice correctional officers were arrested Thursday on felony charges alleging sexual misconduct with female inmates at Hospital Galveston, according to the agency's Office of Inspector General. The arrests marked the culmination of a case that had drawn widespread attention since early spring, shining a harsh spotlight on the safety of incarcerated women receiving medical care in state custody.

Kenneth McDaniel Junior and Kamron Kirk, both formerly employed as correctional officers at the Galveston facility, were taken into custody and booked into the Galveston County Jail. The two were arrested by constable's deputies and officers from the Texas Office of Inspector General and the U.S. Marshals Service Gulf Coast Violent Offender Fugitive Task Force at a residence. Both men were transported and booked at the Galveston County Jail, where they remained on $125,000 bonds.

Serious Felony Charges and What Led to Them

Each faces a charge of Civil Rights Violation/Improper Sexual Activity with Person in Custody, a second-degree felony, according to authorities. The Office of Inspector General launched a criminal investigation, identified the two suspects, and completed an administrative review that resulted in both men being fired before their arrests. The arrests stemmed from what authorities described as a lengthy investigation, with investigators alleging the men engaged in sexual acts with inmates while employed as correctional officers with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.

According to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, an inmate reported that she was sexually assaulted by two correctional officers at a Galveston hospital in March. After the first allegations came to light, another female inmate came forward and said she was sexually assaulted at the beginning of the year. One of those inmates was a high-profile figure: Celeste Beard Johnson, who has been serving a life sentence since 2003 for orchestrating her millionaire husband's murder, called a local news station from prison to share her account. "Even though we're in here as prisoners, we should not be assaulted," Beard Johnson said.

A Vulnerable Setting and Broken Policies

One victim's mother said her daughter was taken from the Lane Murray Unit in Gatesville, Texas to Hospital Galveston in February for neck surgery, and that while still groggy and sedated in recovery, two corrections officers entered her daughter's cell. Because the victim was still sedated, the memory of the attack came back gradually — it took her a while to remember it because she was in sedation, and it started coming back to her when she returned to Lane Murray. The mother said her daughter continues to suffer medical issues from the alleged assault but is too frightened to seek treatment.

The agency said it has policies in place intended to prevent this type of misconduct, including a rule that male officers are not to be left alone with a female inmate and a prohibition on cross-gendered unclothed searches. The allegations suggest those protections failed in a setting where inmates are at their most physically vulnerable — recovering from surgery, sedated, and far from the unit where they are ordinarily housed.

Agency Response and What Comes Next

TDCJ said it is "grateful for the vital support provided by the U.S. Marshals Service in Galveston County and our local law enforcement partners in arresting these individuals and bringing them to justice," according to Inspector General Lance Coleman. The agency also stated that the safety and security of incarcerated individuals and staff is its top priority, and that all sexual assault claims are taken seriously and investigated immediately.

With both men now facing second-degree felony charges, the case will move into the Texas court system — and with it, broader questions about oversight at facilities where incarcerated people receive medical care. Advocates for prison reform have long argued that inmates are uniquely at risk of abuse precisely because they have limited ability to report misconduct without fear of retaliation. A third officer also remains under investigation but was already off duty for a separate reason prior to the allegations coming to light — a detail suggesting the full scope of the case may not yet be resolved.