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Felony counts withdrawn against Waynesburg woman

By For The Greene County Messenger 1 min read
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Three felony counts of institutional sexual assault against a Greene County woman who was employed at a state prison in Fayette County were withdrawn Tuesday.

In exchange for the withdrawals, Natalie Ketchem, 39, of Waynesburg waived a misdemeanor count of contraband to Fayette County Court.

There, under an agreement with prosecutors, she will apply for the Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition program, which is a diversionary program for first-time, nonviolent offenders.

State police had alleged Ketchem, a food service instructor at the State Correctional Institution at Fayette, was caught on security cameras having sex with a male inmate at the lockup.

When the charges were filed in October, a representative for the state Department of Corrections said that Ketchem has worked at the facility since 2007 and was suspended.

Ketchem is free on $25,000 unsecured bond.

She will be arraigned in common pleas court next month.

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