The staff at the W.C. “Dub” Brassell Detention Center has sent a clear signal that smuggling contraband into the county lockup will not be tolerated.
Just recently, and about a week apart, one 20-something jailer was arrested and then another one — both for attempting to bring items into the jail, presumably to distribute (sell?) to the inmates.
Some of the items would have been legal on the outside — such as cell phones and chargers — while other items, such as marijuana, would not have been.
The arrests did not come easily. As Maj. John Bean, with the sheriff’s office, wrote, investigators with the Tri-County Drug Task Force and Jefferson County sheriff’s office had been working on the investigation for a few weeks before the first arrest was made. That placed the suspect in the same jail that she once supervised.
“I cannot be prouder of our investigators who devoted many hours and much effort into solving this case which occurred in our jurisdiction as well as seeking to bring justice to those who commit such crimes,” said Sheriff Lafayette Woods Jr. “Their dedication to duty is not only appreciated but vital to serving the citizens of Jefferson County. I am also thankful for the technology we have obtained and used during this investigation, which was also vital in identifying suspects.”
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
The department has a zero-tolerance policy, the sheriff said.
“The JCSO remains committed to maintaining the highest standards of integrity and professionalism in the operation of our detention center and will continue to take decisive action against any violations of our policies or the law,” he said.
The second jailer was arrested under similar circumstances.
“This ongoing investigation and subsequent second arrest should not only (be) a warning to current or future employees but also to any citizens who are part of these efforts to introduce contraband into our detention facility,” said Woods. “The health, welfare and safety of our detainees is of utmost priority, and we will continue to use every resource at our disposal to expose those who are part of this criminal activity.”
On many occasions, stories have been told of items, legal or otherwise, in the possession of an inmate, leading to the question of how in the world did they get such a thing. The dots are not hard to connect, but getting from the dots to the arrests, however, is another story. Kudos to the investigators for pulling this all together. Bad things happen in jails; keeping illegal and unwanted things out helps limit those problems.