I was a prison guard but when inmate proposed behind bars I said yes – it’s love but everyone says he’s after my pension
A WOMAN who worked as a prison guard has revealed how she fell for an inmate.
Tameka, from the US, reckons she’s the only prison guard to be proposed to behind bars and is now married to Jonathan who is serving 25 years in prison.
Speaking to Love Don’t Judge, Tameka said: “I am the officer that is married to someone in prison. I got to be the only officer in the world who got proposed to in jail.
“Some of the officers, they don’t know which side of the law I am on.”
Tameka revealed she retired from being a prisoner officer and now has a pension for life to support her and her husband once he gets out of prison.
Currently, the couple only gets to spend eight hours together a week when Tameka visits on the weekends.
Tameka first met Jonathan when they were children growing up in the same neighbourhood but soon drifted apart.
When Jonathan was incarcerated for 25 years, he decided to send her a love letter despite not speaking for 14 years.
She said: “It was like, oh my God, after all these years, he still remembers me, he still loves me. At that moment, I was still at work, so I was afraid to respond back to him.
“I contacted Jonathan. He just said, I’m happy after all these years, you finally giving me another chance and we made it official to be with each other.”
Now Jonathan is up for parole and should be released in 11 years and always looks forward to their weekly meetings.
She continued: “The first meeting with him was insane because the same inmates that I had in my custody and I was mean to were the same inmates I seen that’s locked up with my husband.”
While Tameka chooses to stand by her husband, she says she is often targeted by trolls online who say she’s ‘stupid’ for marrying an inmate.
She added: “The judgment that I faced when I started my relationship is, he’s gonna take your pension, he’s gonna get everything that you’ve got.”
But she refuses to give up on her relationship adding ‘he’s my greatest blessing.’
The video posted on the YouTube account Love Don’t Judge has gone viral with over 17,000 views.
UK Prison Brides
- Tracey Bottomley married double murderer Ernest Otto Smith in the US after meeting through a prison pen pal initiative. Tracey, from West Yorks, knew he had been given a life sentence with no possibility of parole
- Rebecca Short, from Oxfordshire, told her family she was on holiday in the US in 2022. Little did they know she was marrying double murderer Manuel Ovate Jr, who was on death row
- Paula Williamson, an actress who appeared on Hollyoaks and Emmerdale, married the infamous Charles Bronson in 2017 after they became penpals
- Karen Charves married Kenny Richey while he was on death row in 2014. He had been convicted for starting a fire in 1986 that killed his ex-girlfriend’s daughter, aged two. Karen and Kenny’s union did not last and she claimed he was abusive.
- Naomi Wise, from Essex, married Victor Oquendo, nicknamed Animal, while he was serving a 24-year prison term in a US jail. They split up in 2022 but have now rekindled their romance
People were quick to share their thoughts on the relationship in the comments, and many seemed unimpressed.
One person wrote: “This is not a flex.”
Another commented: “This is seriously and dangerously pathetic, I can’t even imagine.”
“Wow she must really love her job, talk about bringing your work home with you,” penned a third.
Meanwhile a fourth said: “He’s an inmate, yes… but he’s also a person. We all take different paths in our lives.”
“Foolishness,” claimed a fifth.
Someone else added: “Definitely a unique relationship, but if she is happy then I’m happy for her.”
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