Inmate sexually assaulted at Del Valle halfway house less than 24 hours after arriving
DEL VALLE, Texas (KXAN) — A 42-year-old man who was on parole and assigned to the Austin Transitional Center (ATC) in Del Valle was arrested Thursday for sexually assaulting a female inmate at the center.
According to the arrest affidavit, the female inmate was in the women's bathroom taking a shower when she noticed someone in the distance watching her.
She told police she was initially unable to see who was there, so she asked if they were a guy or a girl, which is when the person responded in a high-pitched voice saying "I'm a girl."
The affidavit stated she peered around the corner of the shower curtain and saw a man masturbating in the bathroom and told him to leave.
At this point, the man approached her and began sexually assaulting her, stating she punched him in the chest several times to get him to stop.
After reporting the incident to staff, the police were called and immediately arrested the suspect who was identified as Dennis Arthur Sims, 42.
The police stated the victim was visibly upset, and she kept saying "the staff should have entered the bathroom to stop him."
She told police she did not know Sims, and this was her first night at ATC.
KXAN found Sims has been convicted of 14 separate offenses for a variety of misdemeanor and felony crimes since 1997, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.
In 2015, Sims was convicted in McLennan County for first-degree felony burglary of a habitation and evading arrest and was sentenced to a combined 16 years in prison, according to McLennan County court records.
Sims was released on parole in October 2021 after serving six years of his 16-year sentence.
Sims is currently being held in the Travis County jail and is facing charges of sexual assault with an object, a second-degree felony.
ATC audit and crime reports
ATC, owned and operated by CoreCivic, is a private-for-profit halfway house and residential treatment facility that contracts with TDCJ to provide transitional services, which include employment and residence development and other self-improvement opportunities, according to its website.
It houses both male and female adult inmates who have been released on parole from state and federal prison with a designated capacity of 436 inmates.
In 2019, a compliance audit was done to determine compliance with the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA). According to the 111 page audit report, ATC met all standards necessary to determine compliance with PREA.
The audit reviewed nine investigations related to sexual abuse allegations that had occurred during the 12 months prior involving eight employee-on-inmate allegations, and one inmate-on-inmate allegation. All eight of the employee-on-inmate allegations were determined to be unfounded or unsubstantiated; the one inmate-on-inmate allegation was substantiated.
Additionally, the audit reviewed ATC's security monitoring system and found ATC had a total of 30 cameras and are only viewed by the designated monitoring staff with a retention of 30 days.
The audit determined ATC's investigations into the sexual abuse allegations and its security system met all standards necessary to be in compliance with PREA.
KXAN looked in to crime reports associated with ATC's address and found 294 criminal offenses have been reported since 2019, according to the City of Austin.
The most commonly reported crimes:
- Assault with Injury - 71 reports
- Assault by Contact - 52 reports
- Assault by Threat - 37 reports
Six of the 294 reports were sexual in nature, consisting of indecent assault and indecent exposure.
CoreCivic, owner and operator of ATC, told KXAN it could not comment on the specifics of this incident due to this being an active and ongoing investigation, and all personnel are cooperating fully with the investigation, adding the following statement:
"CoreCivic is committed to the safety and dignity of every person entrusted to our care. We have a zero-tolerance policy for all forms of sexual abuse and sexual harassment, and every allegation of this nature is reported to our government partner and investigated fully. To ensure we are in full compliance with the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA), all staff receive pre-service and in-service education and training, and all of the individuals in our care receive PREA education and training beginning at initial reception and continuing while they are with us."