Jury deadlocks again in prison sex‑abuse trial

A federal jury in Oakland, California, deadlocked a second time Sept. 25, 2025, in the retrial of former FCI Dublin correctional officer Darrell Wayne Smith, who is accused of sexually abusing four inmates between 2019 and 2021. Smith faces 14 counts related to sexual abuse; prosecutors say assaults occurred in cells and the prison laundry room, while defense lawyers note the absence of DNA, surveillance video or forensic diaries. The case is part of a broader pattern of abuse at FCI Dublin that prompted an AP investigation, congressional scrutiny and the prison’s closure last year.