A former Warren County Regional Jail deputy jailer who admitted to a sexual encounter with a female inmate was sentenced to serve two years in prison.

Aaron Bommarito, 29, of Franklin, received the sentence Tuesday from Warren Circuit Judge J.B. Hines.

Bommarito pleaded guilty earlier this year to a count of first-degree wanton endangerment, accepting a plea agreement that amended that charge from a prior count of third-degree sodomy and dismissed a count of first-degree official misconduct.

A grand jury returned a superseding indictment last year against Bommarito that charged him with four counts of third-degree sodomy and a single count of first-degree official misconduct, for which he could have faced up to 20 years in prison and placement on the state’s sex offender registry, but those charges were dismissed as part of the plea deal.

Court records indicate that the charges against Bommarito stemmed from an allegation of inappropriate sexual contact in September 2021 with a woman who was incarcerated at the jail during that time.

Warren County Commonwealth’s Attorney Kori Beck Bumgarner said at the sentencing hearing that evidence would have shown that Bommarito approached the woman about a sexual relationship.

At the time, the woman was several months away from being able to enter a drug treatment facility and was given duties at the jail that included work in the laundry room, but she had also spent time in an isolation cell during her incarceration, Bumgarner said.

“So it was her understanding in the back of her mind that perhaps if she upset Mr. Bommarito that (time in isolation) might happen again, although he never said those words to her,” Bumgarner said in court while arguing for the two-year prison sentence.

Bumgarner said that the woman was willing to explore settling the case through mediation, which resulted in the plea agreement.

Given a chance to address the court, Bommarito apologized to Warren County Jailer Stephen Harmon “for embarrassing him and the jail for what I did” and extended thanks to his wife for her support.

“It was the biggest mistake I ever made in my life,” Bommarito said of his crime. “I will forever regret it until the day I die.”

According to court records, Harmon became aware of the allegation of inappropriate sexual conduct in 2023, and requested Kentucky State Police conduct an investigation.

Bommarito, who left employment at the jail after a three-month tenure in 2021, was working in law enforcement in Tennessee when the investigation was opened, and he gave a confession to KSP detectives, according to his attorney, Alan Simpson.

In court on Tuesday, Simpson presented the incident as an instance of Bommarito “giving in to the desires of the flesh” and said his client described it to him as “the dumbest thing he’s ever done in his life.”

Simpson argued for Bommarito to be placed on probation or home incarceration.

“A female inmate started propositioning him for sexual favors and he gave in,” Simpson said. “That’s just the easiest way to put it … He never threatened her, he never promised her favorable treatment and it never happened again.”

Prior to pleading guilty, Bommarito spent two days in custody, which Bumgarner argued was not sufficient to punish the former deputy for his actions while in a position of trust and authority.

“By engaging in any sort of relationship with an inmate that he did have control over, to probate him outright based on the nature of the relationship would unduly depreciate the seriousness of the offense,” Bumgarner said in court.

Bommarito will not serve his sentence in Warren County Regional Jail, with Bumgarner informing the court that she contacted Harmon ahead of time about the sentencing and the jailer told her it would be more appropriate for Bommarito to be housed in a facility where he has not been employed and he would make arrangements to that end.