ANOKA CO., Minn. (FOX 9) - An Anoka County work release officer is facing charges after prosecutors say she had a sexual relationship with an inmate while he was on work release.
Anoka Co. worker charged
The backstory:
Kendra Faye Dunblazier, 30, of Princeton, Minnesota, faces one count of criminal sexual contact/prohibited occupational relationship for incidents that began during her employment at the Anoka County Workhouse as a work release officer on July 1, 2024.
Prosecutors say that an inmate she encountered had work release privileges that allowed him to leave the facility, but remain under correctional supervision.
Correction: The criminal complaint listed Dunblazier as a jail employee. However, the Anoka County Sheriff's Office told FOX 9 that Dunblazier did not work in the jail and wasn't a sheriff's office employee. The county later confirmed Dunblazier worked in the county workhouse and was employed by Anoka County Community Corrections. FOX 9 is told the criminal complaint will be amended to correct Dunblazier's position.
Caught by husband
Dig deeper:
On Oct. 10, 2024, charges say that Dunblazier’s husband contacted the Anoka County Jail Administrator to inform them he had found text messages between his wife and an inmate that alluded to an ongoing sexual relationship – arranging meetups for during the times he was on work release.
When contacted to be informed that she would be placed on administrative leave during an investigation, the complaint says that Dunblazier said she would resign instead.
The investigation was then turned over to Sherburne County authorities, who reviewed screenshots provided by Dunblazier’s husband that had the contact info for the same first and last name, followed by a heart emoji, of an inmate in Anoka County.
Messages provided by the husband also included "graphic sexual innuendos, nude photographs, and conversations that arranged specific dates and times to meet up."
There were also many references to a running countdown of how many days the inmate had left to serve on his sentence, charges allege.
Jail calls log, investigation interview
By the numbers:
As part of their investigation into the relationship, law enforcement officials obtained a total of 283 jail log calls beginning on Sept. 12, 2024, that were between the two.
Many of the calls also included graphic sexual discussions, in addition to references to the inmate meeting her children.
On Oct. 28, 2024, law enforcement interviewed Dunblazier, who they say initially denied any relationship, then that one had only lasted one week.
When confronted with the jail log calls, Dunblazier began crying and admitted to the sexual interactions while the inmate was on work release, charges state.
Dunblazier claimed that she had attempted to end the relationship several times, but that the inmate would then threaten her, but the nature of the calls didn't support her claims, authorities say.
Additional evidence gathered included surveillance footage showing the two together, and multiple instances of them being in the same cell tower region, charges state.
The Source: Charges filed in Anoka County