MORGANTOWN – A Maryland woman says she was sexually assaulted by a murder suspect while being transported to jail.
Janel Alicia Wyatt filed her complaint January 12 in Monongalia Circuit Court against the Monongalia County Commission through the Monongalia County Sheriff’s Office.
According to the complaint, Wyatt surrendered herself voluntarily on January 17, 2024, on a capias warrant issued in Monongalia County.
Ramirez
On the same day, Jonathan Ramirez of Texas killed Morgantown resident Jacob Lough and was arrested by Morgantown police. Ramirez was transferred from the Morgantown Police Department into the custody of the Monongalia County Sheriff’s Office for processing, holding and/or transport to the North Central Regional Jail per a standing agreement between the law enforcement agencies.
Donald Gorbey, a process and/or transport officer for the Sheriff’s Department, booked and process Ramirez. After the booking, Gorbey led Wyatt and Ramirez to a three-row transport van equipped with cameras to be taken to jail.
Wyatt says she was shackled and chained at her ankles and handcuffed at her wrists with the cuffs attached to a chain around her waist. She says Gorbey told Ramirez to go to the third row in the van, but she says he didn’t secure Ramirez with a seat belt in the van. Gorbey told Wyatt to sit in the first row, and she was not secured with a seat belt either. There were no other people in the van.
“Gorbey … took no precautions or other actions to prevent Jonathan Ramirez from coming into personal contact with Ms. Wyatt,” the complaint states. “Defendant’s failure … to take precautions or other actions to prevent Jonathan Ramirez from moving freely inside the transport van lulled Ms. Wyatt into a false sense of security inside the van.”
Ramirez reportedly came to West Virginia that month to meet a girl he had contacted online. When that meeting in Wayne didn’t work out, he apparently went to Morgantown. He checked into a hotel and looked for open rooms to burglarize. Then he went into the nearby Suncrest community, as video shows him casing homes.
Ramirez entered Lough’s home, attacking him in his sleep and stabbed him more than 200 times. He was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced in August to life in prison without parole.
During transport to the jail, Wyatt says Ramirez removed or rearranged his clothing to expose his penis and masturbated.
When Gorbey stopped the van for a gate at the jail to open, Ramirez left the third row and approached Wyatt while masturbating, according to the complaint.
“When Ms. Wyatt saw Jonathan Ramirez approach her, she attempted to evade him inside the van and physically struggled to prevent him from assaulting her,” the complaint states. “While Ms. Wyatt was physically struggling with and attempting to evade Jonathan Ramirez inside the van, Jonathan Ramirez attempted to rub or otherwise place his penis on Ms. Wyatt’s face and body.”
Wyatt says Ramirez also tried to grab her hand and place it on his penis. She says he also tried to remove her pants and pinned her against the door and floor of the van. She says Gorbey could see and hear the assault taking place “either by turning his head or viewing on either of two live feed video cameras capturing the rear passenger area of the transport van.”
Wyatt says she made multiple verbal requests for Gorbey to help her, but she says he remained in the driver seat of the van for 45 seconds before the jail gate opened. She says Gorbey’s “only effort to intervene, stop or otherwise assist Ms. Wyatt against said assault was to make verbal instructions to Jonathan Ramirez.”
She says Gorbey then left Wyatt and Ramirez alone in the van for about 40 more seconds before returning.
“Ms. Wyatt escaped the assault when Mr. Gorbey simply opened the door to the transport van,” the complaint states. “Mr. Gorbey could have opened the door the transport van at any time after he was aware of the physical and sexual assault on Ms. Wyatt.”
She says jail employees sprayed Ramirez with pepper spray and removed him from the van before Gorbey placed her back in the van to take her to the closest emergency room “requiring her to ride in the same seat, for approximately one and a half hours, in which she was physically and sexually assaulted and where her attacker was sprayed with pepper spray.”
Wyatt says Gorbey apologized to her for not helping sooner, saying “he did not know what to do.”
The complaint says Gorbey was required to undergo counseling by then-Chief Vance Lipscomb, who recommended further discipline to be determined by then-Sheriff Perri Palmer.
Wyatt accuses the defendants of negligence, negligent infliction of emotional distress, negligent supervision and failure to train.
She says she suffered personal injuries including mental distress, emotional upset, anguish, fear, medical expenses, pain and suffering, diminished ability to pursue and enjoy everyday activities of life, annoyance, inconvenience and other relief. She seeks compensatory damages, general damages, attorney fees, court costs, pre- and post-judgment interests and other relief.
Wyatt is being represented by Brandon Shumaker, Tyler Slavey and Scott Harris of Slavey & Shumaker in Morgantown. The case has been assigned to Circuit Judge Cindy Scott.
Monongalia Circuit Court case number 26-C-11
