NEWS-CHRONICLE PHOTO BY ROBERT MAHARRY — Former Tama County Jailer Kayla Bergom, right, and attorney Eric Eshelman, left, attended a sentencing hearing at the courthouse in Toledo last Thursday. Bergom received a fully suspended sentence after pleading guilty to three counts of sexual misconduct with an offender in connection with incidents that occurred in 2020 and 2021.

A former Tama County jailer will receive a fully suspended two-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to three counts of sexual misconduct with an offender, each an aggravated misdemeanor, stemming from incidents that occurred in 2020 and 2021.

A sentencing hearing for Kayla Mae Bergom, now 28, was held last Thursday afternoon at the Tama County Courthouse with Judge Justin Lightfoot presiding, Scott Brown appearing on behalf of the state and Eric Eshelman representing the defendant.

Citing Bergom’s lack of criminal history, compliance with the conditions of her pretrial release, acceptance of responsibility for the offenses and her strong relationship with her family, the prosecution and defense agreed that a two-year suspended sentence on each count (with the sentences running concurrently), an $855 fine with a 15 percent surcharge and a $90 sexual abuse penalty added on each count, a 10-year parole period and two years of probation, a requirement that Bergom register as a sex offender for 10 years (with a $260 registration fee), a DNA requirement and a five-year no-contact order with the victim would be an appropriate punishment.

Brown said the results of the presentence investigation did not recommend a deferred judgment, and Bergom will also be required to undergo a sex offender treatment program.

According to criminal complaints filed at the time, Bergom engaged in a sex act with an inmate in a utility closet and in the recreation yard at the Tama County Jail on multiple occasions between October 2020 and April 2021.

During the hearing, Bergom opted not to make a statement on her own behalf, and no victim impact statements were presented. Both Brown and Eshelman declined to make further comments at the conclusion of the proceedings.

The victim, 30-year-old Christopher Cungtion Jr., has also filed a civil lawsuit against Bergom alleging that she violated his privacy, that their relationship worsened his anxiety and that he was “physically threatened with extortion” by other inmates as a result. That case is ongoing, with a trial set for September.

Cungtion, formerly of Cedar Rapids, is currently incarcerated at a federal prison in Illinois.