A civilian jail employee of the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office under investigation for corresponding with convicted murderer Robert Ray has been suspended and faces possible criminal charges for bringing a knife into to the county jail.
In a story first reported by KUSA-TV on its website, sheriff’s investigators said they found a knife being carried by 23-year-old Nicole Sue Beal as she was being investigated for exchanging letters and phone calls with Ray, who was recently sentenced to 108 years in prison. She was arrested and posted a $200,000 bond.
Sheriff Grayson Robinson said his office has not yet established any connection between the knife and Ray, who was convicted of being an accessory to murder in the death of Gregory Vann. Vann was gunned down at a Fourth of July barbecue at Aurora’s Lowry Park in 2004.
Ray also is a suspect in the shooting deaths of Javad Marshall-Fields and Vivian Wolfe, Field s fiancée. The couple were killed in June 2005 as Marshall-Fields was preparing to testify as a witness in Vann’s death.
Robinson said he didn’t know why Beal and Ray began exchanging calls and letters.
“We’re not really sure yet. We are still trying to figure that out,” Robinson said.
Beal has been working for the sheriff’s office for about two years, Robinson said. She did not know Ray prior to going to work at the jail as far as investigator know, the sheriff added.
Beal’s duties included viewing video feeds at the jail and checking electronic monitors to see if doors were locked or unlocked.
She had extremely limited contact with inmates, Robinson said, and investigators don’t believe the pair ever had any physical contact while he was at the jail.
Beal could face a felony charge of introduction of contraband and faces a possible prison sentence of up to six years if convicted, Robinson said.
She also faces a misdemeanor charge of official misconduct for her contact with Ray.
Beal could not be reached for comment.
The sheriff’s office received a tip about Beal’s actions on March 7 and began an immediate investigation, Robinson said. She was suspended without pay the following day.
Staff writer Kieran Nicholson can be reached at 303-954-1822 or knicholson@denverpost.com.
