Jail officer handcuffed 2 fellow cops, sexually assaulted them, PA officials say

A now-former corrections officer faces misdemeanor charges after Pennsylvania authorities say he sexually abused two newly hired jail cops.

As he worked at the State Correctional Institution in Forest, 29-year-old Garrett Smead is accused of handcuffing the two victims during separate instances in May, Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday said in a Sept. 29 news release.

He sexually assaulted both officers, writing “Property of G. Smead” on the body of one victim, according to the attorney general.

“Both victims were left handcuffed until other officers arrived and freed them,” Sunday said.

Smead, who was charged Sept. 29, is no longer an employee at the facility, the attorney general said.

He faces misdemeanor charges of indecent assault, unlawful restraint, indecent exposure and “related offenses,” officials say. The attorney general did not say why none of Smead’s alleged actions constituted felony charges.

“The allegations in this case are unacceptable for anyone, let alone a corrections officer with a sworn duty to secure our prisons and protect our communities,” Sunday said in a news release, calling the correction officer’s alleged behavior “dehumanizing.”

According to an online profile, Smead had been employed as a corrections officer since 2020.

Forest is about a 115-mile drive northeast from Pittsburgh.

This story was originally published October 1, 2025 at 12:47 PM with the headline "Jail officer handcuffed 2 fellow cops, sexually assaulted them, PA officials say."