A tough week for jail and prison guards, and a pair of Virginia deputies could find themselves in trouble. Let's get to it:
In Wytheville, Virginia, the Smyth County sheriff has launched an internal probe after sworn affidavits for search warrants in a federal drug case linked two deputies to the subject of those warrants. Sheriff David Bradley would not confirm reports that one deputy had been fired and another suspended, nor were the deputies named. According to the affidavits, based in part on what the suspect unwittingly told confidential informants, one deputy, "Deputy A," "uses methamphetamine, cocaine, and prescription pills but his drug of choice is methamphetamine." The affidavit alleged that Deputy A scored from Anthony Richardson, former chief of the Damascus Police Department, who is currently facing multiple meth conspiracy and distribution charges in state court. "Deputy B," identified as a Smyth County Sheriff's narcotics investigator, "used to steal drugs and give them to [the suspect] to sell," according to the DEA's affidavit. No word on when or if a grand jury indictment is coming down.
In Clovis, New Mexico, a Curry County jail guard was arrested and fired August 7 for trying to smuggle drugs into the county jail. Former jail guard Julian Patrick Garcia, 36, is charged with possession with intent to distribute cocaine, possession with intent to distribute marijuana, bringing contraband into a jail, conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, attempt to commit a felony by furnishing drugs to a prisoner and a misdemeanor count of possession of drug paraphernalia. Garcia went down as a result of an internal investigation at the jail after officials heard allegations an inmate was arranging for drugs to be smuggled in. At last word, Garcia was trying to make a $56,000 bond.
In Lincoln, Nebraska, a state prison guard was arrested August 8 for allegedly smuggling drugs and tobacco into the Nebraska State Penitentiary. Andrew Myers, 23, faces a charge of providing contraband to an inmate. Myers had been under suspicion for two months. Prison officials said they believed he had taped the contraband to his body and delivered it to an inmate in return for $100.
In McAlester, Oklahoma, a former lieutenant at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary was sentenced August 8 to a series of suspended sentences after pleading guilty to felony drug charges. Marion Bess, 44, had faced up to life in prison. He had pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled substance, methamphetamine; conspiracy to deliver/manufacture/possess a controlled dangerous substance -- which carries a sentence of from seven years to life -- and unlawful use of a communication facility, meaning a telephone. He also pleaded guilty to one more count of meth possession. He has to do five years on probation and go to drug treatment.
Permission to Reprint: This content is licensed under a modified Creative Commons Attribution license. Content of a purely educational nature in Drug War Chronicle appear courtesy of DRCNet Foundation, unless otherwise noted.
Comments
Police offenders
The war on drugs is absolutly atrocious. When these Law enforcement officers get caught with their hands dirty, the sentences handed down to these individuals are miniscule and unjust. If everybody had to dance to the same music, perhaps the band might change to a tune everyone could live with. It is time for change now!
Haha
Marion Bess was facing life in prison and ended up with 5 years probation and drug treatment.
Only in America.
LAw enf.
What a Joke-Although more Typical then ever nowadays, simply show that elements of law Enforcement are Indeed Corrupt! I should know, I was VERY "friendly" with the St. Paul, Mn. Local-Yocals. I'm Only surprised that they are yet to be mentioned in this forum. Only a matter of time before we hear about them too.! As to the 5 years Probation-this an Injustice to the Conscience! WAKE-UP LAWMAKERS, and start taking responsibility for your Employs'! Heck, if they can't keep their hands off the junk, it must be Time to change a Few Laws, especially when we continue to hear about the Keepers of Those Laws are in Fact Laughing in it's Face, Yes?!? OH, Maybe More than just a Mayor of this Great Country has to be Caught BEFORE these Arcane laws are changed!
crime pays in new jersey
just ask the 20,000_ people on probation
Marion Bess
Bess got the light sentence because he's serving as informant on the intricasies of the drug ring. Also, have you stopped to consider what life in prison would be like for a C.O.?
In reply to Marion Bess by Anonymous (not verified)
have you stopped to consider what life in prison would be like..
No, that's what HE should have considered.
Law Enforcement should be held to a HIGHER standard of conduct, not a lower standard.
And it's never moral to reward snitches.
In reply to Marion Bess by Anonymous (not verified)
Marion Bess
Bess is the last person in this universe that anyone would call a snitch or rat. (I think informant is the politically correct term). I know him inside and out, and I'll tell ya that he aint a punk and he sure don't like stupid games like that. He's capable of standing on his own two feet, so who's he gonna rat on? The informants who had never met him? Who supposedly purchased drugs from him on several occasions? Who knew ONLY that he had been a CO and the make (but not color) of his vehicle? Who couldn't even ID him before court? From what I've been reading, you'd be amazed at what kind of "valuable" info you can get from a jail bound tweaker. They would even set up grandma if it meant saving themselves. I'm not saying that Bess is perfect. None of us are, but looky here... EVERYONE who knows Marion Bess will tell you that he is not the kind of person that the media has tried to make him out to be. Give the guy a rest! He didn't stand up there pointing his fingers at anybody. He finally plead GUILTY, but you can bet he'll be more careful of people in need of a ride and such.
just legalize & use the billions in tax earned for rehabs & help
withh all the money that legalizing can bring in taxes, just tax heavy on dope.....it would still be alot cheaper than street prices.......& use that cash to help the suffering addict....help them get jobs ect.
Marion Bess
I made the same mistake he did, but I was lucky because someone told me what was going to happen before hand. A person came to my door late one night and in a fight with her Dad, as usual. I let her stay the night on my couch. This one night turned into 2 weeks, and I finally told her she had to go. When I got off work the next evening, I saw that someone had broken into my house and stole my X-Box, games, a cell phone, and my deceased grandfather's ring. I strongly had a notion that it was her who did this, because she and her belongings were gone. After a couple of weeks, I caught up with her and the fight was on. I, never in my life, saw such a wild display of supposed hurt for being "wrongly accused". I didn't fall for the act. I shouted to the world about how she was nothing more than an ungrateful thief. The next day on my way home from work, I opened my truck console to get a rolaid, and right beside them was a small bag of meth! Scared of having it and not sure about what to do with it, I stopped at the nearest car wash and threw it away. About 4 miles down the road I was pulled over and had to be detained while they did a full search of my vehicle. Afterward, I was told that it was due to an anonymous call to that I was flashing around a bag of dope to women and trying to coax them into my vehicle. Seeing how hard it would be to convince them of what had happened, I never uttered a word about what I had found in the console. Let this be some avice to use caution when Stephanie Martin shows up at your door, or is needing a ride.
Add new comment