Former Deputy Accused Of Sexual Abuse Found Dead In Cell

Marty L. Rainey, a former Gasconade County law enforcement officer who was facing state and federal charges involving a series of assaults on women and children, has been found dead in his cell, Ste. Genevieve County Sheriff’s Major Jason Schott announced.

“At this point, it appears to be a suicide, but the investigation is ongoing,” said the sheriff’s office. As of yet, no further information on the cause of Rainey’s death has been disclosed. When asked whether Rainey had been on suicide watch, Schott refused to answer and stated that video footage from inside the jail was being downloaded and staff was being interviewed.

Marty L. Rainey, 52, had used his authority as a police officer to sexually abuse women and children. In August 2014, a thumb drive containing photos and videos of his victims was discovered by a co-worker. Shortly after, police raided his home and seized multiple computers, cameras, flash drives, and other storage devices.

On March 2, a federal grand jury indicted Rainey on a charge of enticement of a minor to engage in a commercial sex act and four counts of deprivation of rights under color of law. Previous to this, Rainey had been charged in a state court with two counts each of sexual assault and acceding to corruption by a public servant, statutory rape, and use of a child in a sexual performance.

To make matters worse, Rainey did not commit these violent and abusive crimes alone. On March 21, Rainey’s friend, Jonathan Pohlmann, 47, pleaded guilty to a federal charge of conspiracy to violate civil rights. Pohlmann was accused of conspiring with Rainey to “injure, oppress, threaten, and intimidate” women with whom Rainey came in contact with as a law enforcement officer. The acts “resulted in bodily injury,” according to charging documents.

In the past, we have reported on a number of cases that demonstrate how dire this issue has become. Examples of excessive force, rape and murder at the hands of the U.S. police have been witnessed across the entire nation.

In fact, according to a study conducted by Bowling Green State University, the rates of sexual assault and domestic battery within the ranks of police officers are almost double that of the average citizen.

Before going to trial on the federal charges, Rainey’s attorney, Christian Goeke, tried to get him released on bail. However, due to the serious nature of the charges and concerns about Rainey’s mental health, the request was denied.

“(Rainey’s death) is certainly not an outcome that our office was seeking. I have sympathy for this family,” U.S. Attorney Richard Callahan said.

Despite the serious nature of Rainey’s crimes, his untimely death has shed a light on another pressing issue. As we all know, prisons in the U.S. are overcrowded. Last year we reported that America has the highest rate of incarceration in the world; despite only accounting for 5% of the world’s population, it houses a whopping ONE QUARTER of its prisoners.

The majority of those within these prisons have been incarcerated for nonviolent crimes such as drug and immigration offences. As a result, resources—particularly preventive and mental health care—are being thinly stretched. With this in mind, this particular case could be considered as evidence of the long line of failures within all areas of the U.S. criminal justice system.

Feature Image: Flickr, meesh

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