CANTON – The former head cook at the St. Lawrence County Correctional Facility admitted to engaging in sexual misconduct with several inmates over several years, according to the attorney general’s office.

Attorney General Letitia James announced the guilty pleas of Jennifer Parker, for engaging in sexual misconduct with multiple inmates who were under her supervision and control, between 2011 and 2014.

Parker entered guilty pleas this morning before the Honorable Jerome J. Richards in St. Lawrence County Court, to two counts of third-degree criminal sexual act, a felony and one count of official, a press release said.

Parker was the head cook at the jail in Canton from August 2010 until she resigned in June 2018. Her duties and responsibilities included managing and supervising civilian employees and inmates who worked in the kitchen.

According to filed documents and statements made in court, Parker engaged in various sexual acts with multiple inmates who were committed to the care and custody of the St. Lawrence County Correctional Facility, and worked for her in the kitchen at the facility, and who, by state law, are incapable of consent.

“No corner of our society should be beyond the shade of justice, not even correctional facilities,” said Attorney General Letitia James. “This individual was entrusted with serving our state, but instead took advantage of her role and the individuals she was responsible for overseeing - putting inmates and the entire facility at risk. This type of behavior will never be tolerated.”

The defendant’s guilty pleas follow a joint investigation by the attorney general’s office and state police, which culminated in a 16-count indictment charging Parker with engaging in multiple acts of sexual misconduct relating to three inmates, including three felony counts of third-degree rape, five felony counts of third-degree criminal sexual act, one misdemeanor count of second-degree promoting prison contraband, forcible touching, and five counts of official misconduct, the release said.

Parker is scheduled to be sentenced May 20 and will also be required to register as a sex offender.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General Mary Gorman of the Public Integrity Bureau, with the assistance of Senior Analyst Joseph Conniff, under the supervision of Deputy Bureau Chief Stacy Aronowitz. The Criminal Justice Division is led by Chief Deputy Attorney General José Maldonado. The investigation was handled by Investigator David Buske with assistance from Investigator Joel Cordone of the Investigations Bureau, with support from Supervising Investigator Richard Doyle and Deputy Bureau Chief Antoine Karam. The Investigations Bureau is led by Chief Investigator John Reidy.

For more about her original arrest, see story here.