ELKINS – A jail employee accused of engaging in improper sexual conduct with an inmate is being held in the Tygart Valley Regional Jail on $50,000 cash or property bond after being arraigned in Randolph County Magistrate Court by Magistrate Mike Dyer Thursday.

Timothy James Watson, 21, of Buckhannon, is accused of having inappropriate sexual contact with a female inmate while he was an employee of TVRJ.

According to a criminal complaint filed in the Randolph County Magistrate Court, on May 29, 2019 at approximately 10 a.m., Trooper First Class J.M. Tallman was contacted by a TVRJ investigator who advised he was conducting an investigation on Watson. The investigator told the state trooper “he had inappropriate video and audio recordings between Mr. Watson” and a female inmate.

On June 4, Tallman watched the video in question and observed what appeared to be Watson showing his genitals to an inmate by standing in front of the window, according to the complaint. The officer observed Watson perform the action twice.

The criminal complaint says Tallman then “listened to the audio recordings and heard Mr. Watson having inappropriate sexual conversations with the inmates.”

Tallman spoke with the female inmate on June 5. She alleged that Watson touched her inappropriately, as well as exposed himself. She also told the officer Watson had inappropriate conversations with her on the intercom system; she called Watson ‘Daddy’ and he called her ‘Kitten.’

On June 12, Tallman met with Watson at the Buckhannon detachment of the West Virginia State Police. Watson allegedly told the trooper that he did expose himself twice and allowed an inmate to touch him over top of his clothing.

If convicted of imposition of sexual acts on persons incarcerated, a felony, Watson faces a fine of not more than $5,000 and not less than one nor more than five years in a state correctional facility.