Did officer admit to sexually assaulting inmate?

April 04, 2011|By John Paul (jpaul@wsbt.com), Click here to follow John on Twitter | By John Paul (jpaul@wsbt.com), Click here to follow John on Twitter

NILES — According to court documents, Ivery Cross admitted to touching an inmate's genitals. His attorney disputes the confession.

Ivery Cross' family watched with heavy hearts as he faced a judge on multiple counts of criminal sexual misconduct in the first and second degree.

Moments after Cross was taken into custody, family members came to his defense and maintained he's innocent.

"I'm here for Ivery because I don't believe it," said Vanessa Barnes.

"He told them ‘Go to my house. Do anything.’ Because he knows he's innocent," said a woman who identified herself as Cross' sister. "If he was guilty he would have never cooperated from the beginning."

But a copy of the criminal complaint WSBT News obtained from the Niles Trial Court tells a different story.

Detectives claim Cross confessed to at least some of the accusations.

After his arrest in March, detectives say Cross admitted to touching the 19-year-old male inmate's genitals on one occasion after asking the inmate to masturbate in front of him.

According to the criminal complaint detectives said Cross told the inmate he could "help himself out on his possession charge."

WSBT News called Cross' attorney who disputes this was a confession. R. McKinley Elliot told us in a statement, "It [the confession] is drafted by individuals who are trying to sustain charges against him. The only thing that matters is the plea Ivery enters in Court."

Elliott says Cross will plead not guilty at his preliminary hearing, scheduled later this month.

Right now, Cross is out on $100,000 bond. He is ordered to avoid bars, alcohol, drugs, and contact with his victim. He has a 9 p.m. curfew and he must avoid school campuses including Niles High School where he coached and Southwest Michigan College.

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