County approves $375,000 in settlements to women in jail sex case

By KAKE News Staff

Click here for updates on this story

    WICHITA, Kansas (KAKE) — Sedgwick County commissioners have approved paying $375,000 to two women a former jail deputy had sex with while on duty.

The commissioners on Wednesday approved $175,000 to one woman and $200,000 to another. The crimes happened in July 2022.

“As part of the agreed settlements, Sedgwick County asserts that all claims are without merit but has resolved to settle to avoid significant defense costs, expenses, and risk of litigation,” the county said in a release.

In February 2023, Dustin Burnett, now 24 years old, made an Alford plea to three charges of unlawful sexual relations with two female inmates and official misconduct in the jail. An Alford plea is a guilty plea in which a defendant does not admit guilt but admits the prosecution’s evidence is sufficient to result in a finding of guilt. He was sentenced the following month to 68 months in prison.

Burnett was fired after he was accused of ignoring inmates’ plans to riot and attack deputies. As part of the plan, inmates were able to smuggle marijuana, cell phones and weapons into the pod where Burnett worked.

Burnett worked as a detention deputy from January to July 2022. He is currently incarcerated at the Lansing Correctional Facility. His earliest possible release date, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections, is January 19, 2027.

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.