An employee of the Georgia Department of Corrections working at Smith State Prison in Glennville has been arrested.
24-year-old Kristen Leslee Pearson of Baxley was arrested by the Criminal Investigations Division of the Georgia Department of Corrections for allegedly having inappropriate sexual contact with an inmate.
Warrants indicate Pearson was arrested on two felony counts:
- Improper Sexual Contact with an Inmate – alleging that Pearson engaged in sexually explicit conduct with an inmate at Smith State Prison between March 1, 2025 and March 23, 2025.
- Violation of Oath by a Public Officer – alleging that Pearson violated her oath by engaging in the sexual conduct with the inmate.
Under Georgia law, persons in custody of the state cannot “consent” when the act is with a state employee, an agent of the state, or a foster parent.
Pearson was booked into the Tattnall County Jail and released on $5,000 bond for each offense.
If convicted, Pearson faces a sentence of one to twenty-five years in prison and up to $100,000 in fines for the sexual offense. The violation of is the charge carries a sentence of up to five years in prison.
Court records show Pearson has retained Vidalia criminal defense attorney Jack Downie.
This is not the first time an employee working at Smith SP has been arrested for improper conduct with an inmate. At least three other former employees have pending cases on similar charges in addition to the now-former staff facing charges for contraband-related charges. The facility has also experienced a murder-suicide by way of a smuggled in firearm, the murder of a corrections officer by an inmate, and, allegedly, a multi-million dollar criminal enterprise that resulted in the death of at least three individuals outside of the prison walls and the arrest of the facility’s warden.
