A former private prisoner transporter has been handed a nine-year prison sentence for the rape of a detainee he was transporting across state lines. Rogeric Hankins, 37, was employed by Inmate Services Corporation and tasked with transporting individuals arrested on out-of-state warrants.

In March 2020, Hankins collected a pre-trial detainee from a Washington state jail for transfer to St. Paul, Minnesota. During the journey, Hankins stopped at a rest area in Joplin, Missouri. It was there, according to prosecutors, that he forced the detainee into a restroom stall and committed the assault.

Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division condemned Hankins' actions, stating that he abused his position of authority and violated the victim's constitutional rights. Hankins' legal representation did not offer an immediate response to requests for comment.