Avondale man pleaded guilty to sexually abusing an inmate

PHOENIX — An Avondale man has pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting an inmate at a facility where he worked, authorities said Monday.

Morris Gary Hibbitt, 51, was working as a security supervisor at the time of the crime, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona.

He pleaded guilty to the crime against him on June 17, prosecutors said.

The woman he sexually abused was an inmate at a rehabilitation center in Phoenix, prosecutors said.

The crime occurred on May 21, 2023, at Behavioral Systems Southwest, prosecutors said.

The center helps inmates reintegrate into society after serving their sentences. The facility’s inmates are under the supervision of the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona, the victim was under Hibbitt’s supervision at the time of the sexual abuse.

Hibbitt will be sentenced on September 9.