Ex-Missouri parole officer gets fine, supervision for letting boyfriend skip on warrant
A former parole and probation officer for the Missouri Department of Corrections has been sentenced to pay a $7,500 fine plus spend three years on court supervised release for a criminal conviction that stemmed from an intimate relationship she had with a man wanted by authorities on a bench warrant as he was under her supervision.
Valerie R. Jacobs, 35, was issued the sentence by Judge Howard F. Sachs during a hearing Thursday in the Western District of Missouri’s Kansas City courthouse. She admitted in a guilty plea six months ago to one count of using a facility in interstate commerce to further unlawful activity, a low level felony, as she faced a federal indictment.
Evidence gathered by state investigators included statements by Jacobs concerning her sexual relationship with the man, identified in court papers only as A.R. The FBI confirmed that she had used her personal credit card to rent a hotel room on Aug. 28, 2019 at the American Inn in North Kansas City for a single night.
State law enforcement began looking into the relationship between the two as part of a criminal investigation, though state charges were never filed.
When questioned by state investigators, Jacobs admitted that she had a relationship with A.R. that began as professional and became less formal after he was first assigned to her caseload in December 2018. The two became intimate after they met one day in July 2019 at his parents’ farm.
Jacobs also admitted to being aware there was an active warrant for his arrest when she met with him at the North Kansas City hotel. She also told investigators at the time that she was hoping to convince him to surrender to authorities.
As part of the plea agreement, Jacobs also acknowledged she was trained and received information from the state corrections department that she was not supposed to have a sexual relationship with anyone under her supervision. Violations of that requirement are a separate felony under Missouri law.
Under federal law, the charge Jacobs pleaded guilty to carries a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison plus a $250,000 fine. Her sentence fell below pre-sentencing recommendations and that include factors such as her status as a first-time criminal offender, according to court papers.
Prosecutors recommended Jacobs serve between 10 and 16 months of prison time for the crime. In a sentencing memorandum filed Aug. 30, U.S. Attorney David M. Ketchmark wrote that a person working as a parole or probation officer should “never notify an offender that they had an outstanding warrant for their arrest as it could result in the offender fleeing or possibly jeopardize law enforcement officials.”
“Such a sentence would reflect the seriousness of the offense, promote respect for the law, and provide just punishment for the defendant’s conduct,” Ketchmark wrote in asking for the harsher punishment, adding: “The government submits that a sentenced within the applicable guideline range would also serve as an adequate deterrence to such conduct in the future.”
Jacobs was represented by criminal defense attorney Matthew O’Connor. Reached by phone Thursday, O’Connor said his client, who had lost her job as a result of the investigation, had no criminal history, admitted fault in the crime, and had no ill motive — factors he believes were taken into consideration with the judge’s decision.
O’Connor also said Jacobs is an upstanding and hardworking single mother who simply “fell in love with the wrong person.”
This story was originally published September 15, 2022 at 9:56 PM.
