Mississippi inmate sentenced to 30 years in prison for sexually assaulting prison employee

A prisoner in Mississippi was sentenced to an additional 30 years in prison for sexually abusing a prison employee.

Ernest Mayfield had only been at the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility in Rankin County for three days when he broke into a staff member’s office and sexually assaulted her on September 17, 2021.

The case went to trial on April 20, 2024. During the two-day trial, the State of Mississippi called the victim, several forensic experts, and several witnesses before the jury returned a guilty verdict. District Judge Steve Ratcliff sentenced Mayfield to 30 years behind bars – the maximum allowable.

“I am grateful for the hard work of my office and multiple law enforcement agencies that resulted in a guilty verdict in this case,” said District Attorney Bubba Bramlett. “We are pleased to send this lifelong habitual criminal to prison for the next 30 years.”

According to Bramlett, Mayfield was originally in prison for two previous convictions for methamphetamine possession.