A 36-year-old corrections officer from Adrian is facing felony and misdemeanor charges after a fellow officer at the Gus Harrison Correctional Facility accused him of exposing himself to her on multiple occasions between 2024 and 2025. Jonathan Sipes was arraigned Tuesday on one count of third-degree criminal sexual conduct, two counts of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct, and one count of aggravated indecent exposure.
According to a State of Michigan press release, Sipes was arraigned Tuesday in Lenawee County 2A District Court. He was assigned a $27,000 cash or surety bond at his arraignment. He is due back in court for a probable cause conference and bond hearing on October 7, with a preliminary examination set for October 14 before Judge Laura J. Schaedler. The charges, as reported by ClickOnDetroit, stem from the Michigan Attorney General's office alleging Sipes assaulted or exposed himself to another officer several times during that two-year span.
The alleged incidents occurred both inside the Gus Harrison Correctional Facility and in the complex's parking lot, per the outlet's reporting. The colleague who came forward told investigators, according to the complaint cited by the station, that Sipes exposed himself in the parking lot at the end of their shift. She reported the alleged assaults to Michigan Department of Corrections command in November 2025, which prompted MDOC to hand the matter over to the Michigan State Police for a criminal investigation.
AG Calls Workplace Abuse Allegations Heinous
Attorney General Dana Nessel addressed the case directly, saying the threat of sexual assault by a fellow corrections officer is heinous and unacceptable and that no one should be subject to sexual abuse at their place of work or anywhere else. Michigan State Police carried out the investigation after the case was referred by MDOC, the station's report notes.
The charges Sipes faces carry steep statutory exposure. Third-degree criminal sexual conduct, which under Michigan Compiled Laws § 750.520d includes, among other circumstances, sexual penetration accomplished through force or coercion, is a felony punishable by up to 15 years in state prison along with mandatory sex offender registration. The fourth-degree counts, which apply to sexual contact without penetration in circumstances that include force, coercion, or surprise, are misdemeanors under MCL § 750.520e punishable by up to two years in prison, a $500 fine, or both.
The aggravated indecent exposure count, defined under MCL § 750.335a(2)(b) as exposing private body parts while fondling oneself, is also a misdemeanor, carrying up to two years in prison and a $2,000 fine; sex-offender registration may apply in specified circumstances. By contrast, simple indecent exposure in Michigan carries a lower maximum penalty of one year in jail. Taken together, the four counts carry cumulative statutory penalties of up to 21 years in prison if Sipes is convicted on all of them.
Facility Has Faced Staffing Pressures
Gus Harrison Correctional Facility, opened in 1991 in Adrian, is a multi-security level men's prison housing up to 1,060 prisoners with roughly 500 staff members, named after MDOC's first director, per the Michigan Department of Corrections. The facility has not been immune to the staffing pressures that have reshaped the state prison system in recent years. MDOC planned to shutter the south side of the facility by November 2022 as part of an effort to consolidate operations amid widespread officer shortages, a move that would not result in layoffs.
That consolidation reflected a broader statewide trend. Michigan's prison population fell to around 32,000 inmates from a peak of 51,000 in 2007, leading to the closure of 33 prison units statewide, as reported by Bridge Michigan, with remaining officers frequently working mandatory overtime shifts of up to 80 hours per week.
This is not the only recent case testing how Michigan juries and prosecutors handle sexual misconduct allegations between colleagues in uniform. In September, Hoodline reported that an Oakland County jury acquitted a Farmington Hills police officer of third-degree and fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct charges in a similar workplace trial involving a fellow department cadet, a case that ended in full acquittal after less than two days of deliberations.
The Attorney General's office has also shown a pattern of pursuing criminal charges against state corrections personnel in other contexts. Independent journalist Tracy Stengel reported in June 2023 that Nessel charged eight current and former prison staff members with felonies in connection with an inmate death, underscoring that duty of care and safety obligations apply strictly to correctional staff.
