Mule Creek State Prison officer faces sex charges

A correctional officer at Mule Creek State Prison in Ione was arrested after two girls told investigators the officer sexually assaulted them at his home.

Johnny Irvin Walters, 38, of the Camanche area was held Wednesday on suspicion of lewd acts upon a child, child molestation and other charges. He was held at the Amador County Jail. Amador County sheriff's officials said they were contacted June 2 by parents who believed their 14-year-old daughter might have been molested by Walters.

Deputies said they learned Walters had been holding pool parties at which minors could drink alcohol and participate in sex acts. Two girls told detectives that Walters gave them alcohol until they were intoxicated and passed out, and that they woke up in bed with him assaulting them, the sheriff's office said.

In a search warrant, detectives found evidence that Walters had viewed and digitally recorded one girl as she showered at his home, the sheriff's office said. The Amador district attorney's office filed a criminal complaint, and Walters was arrested Tuesday at the sheriff's office. His bail was set at $80,000.