A 38-year-old Casey County deputy jailer is behind bars in a neighboring facility after Kentucky State Police say he forced a female inmate to perform oral sex on him inside the Casey County Detention Center. Samuel Chance Phillips, of Kings Mountain, was arrested Thursday and now faces a first-degree sodomy charge that carries a mandatory 10 to 20 years in prison if he is convicted.
What the Arrest Citation Alleges
According to the arrest citation, Phillips allegedly groped the inmate and then forced her to perform oral sex on him during his time working at the facility, as reported by Laker Country 104.9 WJRS. Kentucky State Police Trooper Ricky Cross made the arrest, and Phillips is now charged with sodomy in the first degree and official misconduct in the first degree. Under Kentucky law, incarcerated individuals are legally incapable of consenting to sexual contact with the correctional staff supervising them, which bars consent as a legal defense in cases involving jail personnel, a standard Hoodline has previously outlined in its coverage of a Shelby County case.
The investigation was handled by Kentucky State Police. Following his arrest, Phillips was lodged at the Russell County Detention Center in nearby Jamestown.
The Charges Phillips Faces
First-degree sodomy is a Class B felony under Kentucky Revised Statutes § 510.070, applying when a defendant engages in deviate sexual intercourse through forcible compulsion and carrying a mandatory 10 to 20 years in prison upon conviction. The official misconduct charge is comparatively minor on paper — a Class A misdemeanor under KRS § 522.020 punishable by up to 12 months in jail and fines up to $500 — but it applies whenever a public official is found to have knowingly exceeded their authorized power to gain a benefit or cause harm.
Part of a Broader Pattern in Kentucky Jails
Phillips's arrest fits a pattern that has played out across Kentucky's county jail system throughout 2026. In May, a former Bullitt County deputy jailer was arrested on multiple charges, including sexual abuse and promoting contraband, according to WAVE 3 News.
Just weeks ago, former Shelby County Detention Center officer Ladonis Mayfield pleaded guilty in Shelby Circuit Court to two counts of third-degree sodomy and first-degree official misconduct for sexually abusing a female inmate under his supervision, and was scheduled to be sentenced on October 26.
Casey County Detention Center Hiring
A listing for a Casey County deputy jailer job advertised pay starting at $12 an hour.
No additional details on Phillips's court proceedings had been released as of Thursday's arrest.
