Anderson County jail officer arrested on multiple charges
An Anderson County Sheriff’s Department corrections officer has been arrested and jailed in connection with allegations of sexual misconduct with a minor female inmate and introduction of contraband into the jail.
David Antonio Berruquin, 28, was working in the Anderson County jail when a female prisoner at the facility complained to another sheriff’s office employee that Berruquin had sexually assaulted her in her cell.
On April 12, he was arrested and charged with the crimes of introduction of contraband into a penal facility, as well as sexual exploitation of a minor, according to a report from District Attorney General Dave Clark.
“Her complaint was passed along to Anderson County Sheriff Russell Barker, who contacted the district attorney general,” the report said.
“The sheriff and [Clark] made the decision … to ask the Tennessee Bureau of Investigaton to look into the allegations … which ultimately led to Berruquin’s arrest,” it said.
Upon the initiation of the investigation, Berruquin was placed on administrative leave without pay, then he subsequently was fired, the report says.
He was arrested early on April 13 in Clinton by TBI and Clinton police officers.
“Earlier that morning, Clinton Police Department SWAT team officers assisted the TBI in conducting a related search warrant at another Clinton address,” the report noted.
Berruquin was transported to the Anderson County Detention Facility, where he was housed in a segregated cell for his safety, it added.
“Criminal Court Judge Ryan Spitzer issued the search warrant related to this case in the early morning hours of April 13, and General Sessions Judge Victoria Bowling similarly issued the arrest warrant late Friday night, according to the district attorney’s office.
“Despite Judge Bowling’s setting of a bond amount of $100,000, Berruquin was bonded out of jail later that day,” the report said. “He remains free pending an arraignment on his charges currently scheduled for April 23 in General Sessions Court, Division I, in Clinton.”
Clark said the investigation of Berruquin is continuing, and “I expect that additional charges will be filed in the coming days or weeks.”
No information was released on what the alleged contraband involved.