June 17, 2021 at 4:39 p.m.
Former Oneida County corrections officer sentenced
Former Oneida County corrections officer sentenced
By River News Staff-
Jacob D. Petitt, 26, formerly of Rhinelander, was charged Jan. 13 with one count of solicitation of prostitutes and one count of misconduct in public office/excess compensation, both felonies.
According to the Oneida County sheriff's office, he resigned his employment with the county the same day as the charges were filed.
The Oneida County district attorney's office filed the criminal complaint following an investigation involving the Department of Justice-Division of Criminal Investigations.
Petitt made his initial appearance in Oneida County Circuit Court Jan. 13 at which time circuit judge Michael Bloom set a $1,000 cash bond, according to online court records. Conditions of bond included a prohibition on leaving Oneida County and no contact with the female party mentioned in the criminal complaint. The condition he not leave the county was amended on Jan. 20 and he has since moved to Illinois.
According to online court records, he waived his right to a preliminary hearing on Jan. 20. After his lawyer Pat Finlan filed for a substitution of judge, the case was transferred from Bloom's court to Patrick O'Melia in Branch 1. He pled not guilty to both counts at his arraignment on Feb. 15.
At sentencing Tuesday, assistant district attorney Jillian Pfeifer moved to amend the first count to lewd and lascivious behavior, a misdemeanor. The second count was dismissed but read in. Pfeiffer told O'Melia that while this solution did not result in a felony conviction, Petitt's career in corrections is finished.
O'Melia accepted the plea agreement and levied a $2,000 fine and $983 in court costs.
According to the criminal complaint, Petitt, who was hired as a corrections officer in 2017, was placed on administrative leave Jan. 8.
The complaint alleged that Petitt and a former inmate of the county jail entered into an arrangement wherein she would provide sexual favors in exchange for information on the activities of the North Central Drug Enforcement Group (NORDEG).
"The purpose of (the arrangement) was to keep (the female) one step ahead of NORDEG," Det. Sgt. Kelly Moermond wrote in a police report attached to the complaint.
"(The woman) made the comment during the interview that (her) reason for engaging in this agreement with Petitt is that (she) can be one step ahead of everyone because this is (her) northwoods and (she) wants to be at the top," the complaint states.
According to the complaint, the information the female party allegedly ascertained via the alleged arrangement with Petitt included when search warrants were to be conducted, descriptions of vehicles used by NORDEG officers and information as to "who was being brought over to interview rooms talking to NORDEG."
The female party also reported that Petitt would text her when someone had been picked up by the police, the complaint states.
According to the complaint, the woman also asked Petitt to provide her with a list of NORDEG's confidential informants. To that request, he replied that he did not have that information and would not disclose it if he did.
The alleged sexual contact between the two took place at his apartment, the interior of which she described for investigators, the complaint states.
The complaint also alleges Petitt had contact with approximately five other former inmates via social media over the course of his employment with the county. However, there are no allegations in the complaint that he provided any of those individuals with information in exchange for sexual favors.
At sentencing, Pfeifer told O'Melia any information that Petitt turned over to the woman was available to any member of the public and he lacked access to any NORDEG information as a corrections officer.
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