Former jail employee sentenced to probation after having sex with inmate; inmate sues Tama County

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) - Kayla Bergom, a former employee of the Tama County jail, will not face prison time after she pled guilty to engaging in sexual activity with an inmate three separate times.

The sex acts are the subject of a lawsuit against Tama County, Tama County Sheriff Dennis Kucera (R) and other county employees.

Our KCRG-TV9 i9 Investigative Team learned the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation completed an investigation into the Tama County Jail after it received an accusation of sexual misconduct by a county employee in March 2022. Bergom was charged with three counts of sexual misconduct with an offender in April 2022.

According to court documents, prosecutors said Bergom and an inmate engaged in sexual activity in a utility closet and in the recreation yard area of the jail on multiple occasions between September 2020 and April 2021.

As part of a plea agreement, Bergom was sentenced to supervised probation for two years. She will also have to complete a sexual offender treatment program, pay around $1,000 and register as a sex offender. A district court judge made the decision citing her prior records, the circumstances of the offense and her employment.

Tama County Sheriff Dennis Kucera (R) said he had no comment, but was glad to move beyond the situation in an email to TV9.

Christopher Lee Cungtion, Jr. said he was the inmate who was sexually involved with Bergom in a lawsuit filed in November 2022 against Tama County and other county employees. He is looking for punitive damages for physical and mental distress along with changes in jail policies and procedures.

According to the lawsuit, Cungiton Jr. said the relationship with Bergom included sexual intercourse, kissing, intimate touching and exposing of genitals on several occasions. He also said Bergom used her cell phone to record the jail surveillance cameras showing him performing sex acts and the relationship increased his anxiety and created a fight between himself and other inmates.

According to court documents, the jury trial is set for September 2023.

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