Former state caregiver sentenced to 25 years of prison for sexual assault of disabled woman

A former Oregon Department of Human Services caregiver was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison on Tuesday for violating the civil rights of a woman with developmental disabilities by having sex with her.

Zakary Edward Glover, 30, of Lebanon worked for the state agency’s Stabilization and Crisis Unit, which operates 24-hour residential programs in Oregon for people with developmental disabilities. The program serves about 100 people in group homes between Eugene and Portland. 

In November 2021, Glover sexually assaulted the woman, who has severe autism and other challenges, while taking her on an outing to Taco Bell in a state-owned van, court records show. Instead of getting food and returning to the group home, Glover drove the van down a deadend road near a cemetery in Aumsville and parked the van near its gate, court documents show. He then had sex with the woman without her consent. A security camera at the cemetery provided evidence in the case.

In February 2022, a federal grand jury in Portland indicted Glover with kidnapping and depriving the victim of her constitutional right to bodily integrity. In January, he pleaded guilty to the felony.

“Mr. Glover’s crimes profoundly betrayed the trust placed in him as a state health care support specialist,” Natalie Wight, U.S. attorney for the District of Oregon, said in a statement. “We thank our partners at the FBI, Oregon State Police and Civil Rights Division for their commitment to this victim and the safety of all Oregonians.”

Spokespeople for the Oregon Department of Human Services didn’t respond to a request for comment, though prosecutors said he’s no longer employed at the agency.

“This defendant engaged in deplorable acts of sexual misconduct and targeted a victim with severe developmental disabilities who was entrusted to his care and could not defend herself,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The defendant breached the public trust and violated the most basic standards of decency.”