Former Johnson County deputy to stand trial for sexual contact with inmate

A former Johnson County sheriff’s deputy was ordered Thursday to stand trial for allegedly having unlawful sexual relations with a jail inmate.

Robert Lee Weller III was charged with the felony count last October.

A female inmate reported the alleged incident last August and Weller, 38, was subsequently terminated from his job.

The woman told investigators that she exposed herself to Weller on a number of occasions while incarcerated and communicated with him on Facebook when she was out of jail, according to court documents.

Last Aug. 23, she was back in custody, and alleged that Weller fondled her through the food tray slot on her cell door. She also said she fondled him in the same manner, according to the documents.

The documents also note that the body camera that Weller was supposed to turn on when he interacted with female inmates was not activated during the time of the alleged sexual contact.

After Thursday’s preliminary hearing in which a judge found there was sufficient evidence for the case to proceed to trial, defense attorney Scott Toth entered a not guilty plea on Weller’s behalf.

This story was originally published January 26, 2018 at 8:56 AM with the headline "Former Johnson County deputy to stand trial for sexual contact with inmate."