Bailiff Resigns Over Letters Sent to Female Inmate

OCALA, Fla. (AP) _ Authorities say a former Marion County Sheriff’s deputy faces legal trouble after investigators found out that he sent love letters to a female inmate.

Francisco Javier Perez was charged Wednesday with six counts of introducing contraband into the county jail.

The 33-year-old resigned from his job when he was arrested shortly after the correspondence was discovered on Valentine’s Day.

The Ocala Star-Banner (http://bit.ly/Yotwee ) reports a jail trusty told a sergeant at the Marion County Courthouse about the relationship between Perez and 24-year-old inmate Jessica Soverns.

Investigators found letters that had been exchanged between the two.

Perez had been a sheriff’s employee for 5 years and became a bailiff in 2009.

According to an arrest report, Perez acknowledged sending the letters but denied sexual contact with Soverns.