A 45-year-old Hendricks County work release officer accused of having sex with a woman under his supervision told investigators the two only hugged once, even as the alleged victim described sexual intercourse happening five to 10 times every time they met outside the facility. Jeffery Alltop, of Noblesville, was taken into custody on September 7 and made his initial court appearance the following day, held without bond at the Hendricks County jail.
Alltop worked as an officer at the Hendricks County Work Release Facility, a 200-bed co-ed community corrections center in Danville that was established in 2008 and transitioned into a Community Corrections Agency in 2010 through Indiana Department of Correction grant funding, according to Hendricks County government records. Court documents cited by WTHR show Alltop now faces two counts of felony sexual misconduct and one count of felony official misconduct. As reported by WKRC, charges were officially filed nearly three years after the alleged misconduct began.
Conflicting Accounts of What Happened
According to WKRC, Alltop claimed he and the woman only hung out in his truck and maintained no sexual contact ever occurred beyond a single hug, though he acknowledged that his contact with her had gone too far. He also claimed the woman approached him first and admitted, per the same outlet, to having a sexually explicit text conversation with her. Alltop told investigators he met with the woman two to three times outside the facility, and he said he had extensive knowledge of the Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003.
The woman gave investigators a starkly different account, telling them she and Alltop had sexual contact and that it was consensual, and that she did not want him branded as a bad guy, per WKRC's reporting. The same account describes the pair meeting in dark or secluded areas for discretion, including various parking spots and a pie shop where she worked. The station's report notes the two exchanged nude images, and investigators found her phone listed his number under the name momma.
How the Investigation Began
Per WTHR, the investigation was initiated after other inmates reported suspected misconduct involving Alltop and incarcerated women to the facility director, who then searched the woman's phone and discovered a nude photograph sent to a number registered to Alltop. That formal criminal investigation began in October 2023, and Alltop was interviewed by investigators on October 11, 2024 — a gap of roughly a year before he was arrested this month. WTHR also reported that the facility director told investigators Alltop had previously worked at the facility before rejoining in March 2023, and had faced several prior Prison Rape Elimination Act investigations that were all deemed unsubstantiated.
Why Consent Isn't a Legal Defense
Under Indiana Code § 35-44.1-3-10, a service provider or correctional officer who engages in sexual intercourse or sexual conduct with an incarcerated person commits a Level 5 felony, according to FindLaw. The same statute, under subsection (e), explicitly states that mutual consent is not a valid legal defense against such charges — meaning the woman's statements describing the encounters as consensual would not absolve Alltop under state law. Indiana treats any sexual conduct between custodial staff and detainees as non-consensual by definition.
That standard mirrors federal policy. Under the Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003, codified at 28 CFR § 115, incarcerated individuals are considered legally incapable of consenting to sexual activity with correctional staff because of the inherent power imbalance between them, according to federal regulatory guidance. Indiana Administrative Code Title 210, Article 3 further requires that all reports of inappropriate sexual conduct by jail staff be formally investigated, with completed files delivered directly to the county prosecutor, per the Indiana General Assembly.
What Alltop Could Face
If convicted, Alltop faces significant prison exposure. A Level 5 felony in Indiana carries a sentence ranging from one to six years, with an advisory term of three years and fines of up to $10,000 under IC § 35-50-2-6, according to Banks & Brower. Judges retain discretion to suspend portions of a Level 5 sentence to probation or home detention. The case remains in its early stages, with the underlying criminal allegations against Alltop still unproven in court.
