Jail deputy facing inmate sex charges

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (AP) — The Kern County sheriff is vowing to
change jail policies after a second deputy was accused of having sexual contact with inmates.

Detention deputy Anthony Lavis was arrested Thursday on suspicion of inappropriately touching female inmates while working at Lerdo Jail.

Inmates reported that the 55-year-old Lavis also had them expose themselves in exchange for food and money and used the sheriff’s database to look up contact information for an inmate after she left jail.

Lavis’ arrest comes just a month after another jail deputy, Margarita Young, was charged with having sex multiple times with an inmate. Young has pleaded not guilty.

Sheriff Donny Youngblood announced at a news conference Thursday that he will station deputies at key parts of the jail and require supervisors to patrol the facilities and sign log records more.

source:

http://www.news10.net/news/national/story.aspx?storyid=75241

Fla. corrections employees arrested in drug sting

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — A lengthy FBI sting has exposed a ring of cocaine and contraband smuggling that was protected by corrupt guards and even a drug counselor in two Florida prisons, state and federal prosecutors said Thursday.

The investigation began two years ago when undercover FBI agents acting on a tip approached the officers for help trafficking drugs. In exchange for cash, the officers agreed to use their positions to protect, hide and facilitate cocaine shipments, according to a grand jury indictment against 16 of the 22 arrested.

An FBI SWAT team carried out the arrests simultaneously Thursday at the Glades facility and nearby South Bay jail. At least 18 are former corrections officers, according to state and federal officials. All have been fired.

“We cannot allow those involved in the administration of justice at any level to misuse their positions to line their own pockets,” said Jeffrey Sloman U.S. Attorney for Florida’s Southern District.

The 16 in federal court are charged with possession of cocaine with intent to distribute and attempting to possess cocaine. The State Attorney’s Office in Palm Beach County is pursuing charges of bribery and conspiracy to introduce contraband into prisons against the remaining six.

The indictment from “Operation Blind Justice” alleges that on at least nine occasions, the defendants transported what they believed to be multiple kilos of cocaine from Miami to West Palm Beach. Prosecutors wouldn’t say exactly what was in the packages or what happened to them upon delivery.

In exchange, the guards collectively received $145,000, with individuals earning anywhere from $5,000 and $33,000 apiece, Sloman said.

It was just the most recent in a string of federal corruption arrests throughout South Florida, tangling up politicians ranging from the county commission to school board. John Gillies, special agent in charge of the local FBI branch, said fighting such abuses of power was their top criminal priority.

Drugs are a particular scourge in Florida prisons, Corrections Secretary Walter McNeil said, because they inspire aggression against guards and other inmates.

“Our best defense against drugs in our institutions is the eyes and ears of our employees – the officers working in the institution,” McNeil said. “In this case the problem involved our staff, but I want you to know that in this case they were also the solution.”

source:

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/florida/AP/story/1474950.html

Corrections officer from Indiana State Prison arrested

A correctional officer at the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City has been arrested.

She’s accused of trafficking tobacco and marijuana with an inmate.Officer Barb Roseborough tried to sneak a package into the prison hidden in the lining of a bag.

She was caught and charged with felony possession of marijuana, and trafficking with an offender.

Roseborough is being held in the LaPorte County Jail. She’s worked at the prison since 2001.

source:

http://www.wndu.com/localnews/headlines/80866807.html

2 Putnam corrections officers charged in fraud scheme

Two Putnam County corrections officers found themselves behind bars Thursday night after being charged in an insurance fraud scheme, a Sheriff’s Office news release said this morning.

Anthony Harris, 36, is charged with insurance fraud and obstruction of justice. He was booked into the jail on $1,500 bail. Timothy David Chisholm, 30, is charged with obstruction of justice. He was sent to jail on $500 bail.

The Sheriff’s Office said Chisholm reported finding that a Dodge truck belonging to Harris was missing from in front of Harris’ San Mateo home Jan. 24. The vehicle was reported stolen and found destroyed by fire in Marion County on Jan. 29.

Detectives found inconsistencies in stories told by the men. The investigation also found that Harris was behind on his truck payments and that the truck was destroyed by arson.

Harris and Chisholm “were actively involved in the intentional setting fire to Harris’ truck so Harris could fraudulently collect insurance payment,” the news release said.

Putnam Sheriff Jeff Hardy called having to arrest the two men a “sad day.”

“It’s very disheartening when two people you have entrusted with such responsibility are accused of such serious crimes,” Hardy said.

Both men have beenfired from the Sheriff’s Office, where they’d worked since 2005.

Harris’ wife Pamela Harris, a records supervisor with the department for 20 years, was fired Friday. She had not been arrested as of Friday evening, but police want the State Attorney’s Office to charge her with obstruction of justice and as an accessory to insurance fraud.

source:

http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/crime/2010-02-05/story/2_putnam_corrections_officers_charged_in_fraud_scheme?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+JacksonvillecomNews+%28Jacksonville+Local+News+%E2%80%93+Jacksonville.com+and+The+Florida+Times-Union%29

Retired corrections officer arrested after shooting 2 men in Queens bowling alley scuffle

A retired city correction officer working security at a Queens bowling alley was arrested Saturday after he shot two rowdy customers during a wild fight, police said.

Michael Iavecchio was charged with two counts of second-degree assault after the confrontation just outside the AMF Bowling Center in Woodside, police said.

Iavecchio, 54, ejected Gerard Hourigan and Justin Donaghy – both 29 – from the lanes at 1:45 a.m. after they refused to stop smoking cigarettes inside, police said.

Once he escorted them outside to 34th Ave., the two men turned and attacked him, the guard told investigators.

As he struggled with the men, Iavecchio broke free and pulled out his .380 Ruger and opened fire, cops said. He hit Hourigan in the chest and Donaghy in the stomach. Both men were taken to Elmhurst Hospital Center and were expected to survive, police said.

Iavecchio, a former captain with the Correction Department who had a valid permit to carry a concealed handgun, was arrested after hours of questioning, stunning his Rockaway Beach neighbors.

“He’s a wonderful person, he helps everybody,” said neighbor Roma Ciofalo, 77. “Everybody likes him.”

Hourigan and Donaghy were later charged with menacing, police said.

A longtime patron said violence was out of the ordinary at the “family-oriented” bowling alley.

“It’s a very safe place,” said Nancy Jimenez.

source:

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2010/02/07/2010-02-07_untitled__2bowl07m.html?r=news%2Fny_crime&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+nydnrss%2Fnews%2Fny_crime+%28News%2FNY+Crime%29

Former Corrections Worker Appeals Sex Offender Registry Requirement

Anastacio Gallardo is serving a three-and-a-half year prison term for having sex with an inmate, but is appealing part of his sentence that requires he be put on the sex offender registry.

Topeka (WIBW) – It will likely be several weeks before the Kansas Appeals Court rules whether a former corrections worker must register as a sex offender.

Anastacio Gallardo pleaded guilty in June 2008 to having sex with an inmate at Topeka Correctional, where he was a maintenance supervisor. The woman became pregnant as a result.Gallardo was given a suspended sentence of three and a half years in prison and placed on probation, but is appealing another part of his sentence that requires he be put on the sex offender registry.

Gallardo argued before the Kansas Court of Appeals this week that it’s not required because there’s no proof the actions were sexually motivated. The state, however, argues there is no apparant reason to engage in the acts other than for “sexual gratification.”

No firm decision is set for the Court to issue its decision, but a court spokesperson says rulings typically take four to six weeks.

source:

http://www.wibw.com/localnews/headlines/84041792.html

Ex-deputy PM jailed for sex crimes

POLAND’S former deputy prime minister was today jailed for two years and three months after being found guilty of demanding sexual favors in exchange for job opportunities.

Lepper’s former aide, Stanislaw Lyzwinski, was also sentenced to five years in jail for rape and demanding sexual favors by the same court in the central Polish city of Piotrkow Trybunalski.

The populist Lepper served as deputy prime minister in 2006-2007 in a right wing-populist coalition government led by Law and Justice (PiS) chief Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the twin brother of Poland’s current President Lech Kaczynski.

A high profile political sex scandal erupted in December 2006 when a then 33-year-old woman, Aneta Krawczyk, accused Lepper and Lyzwinski of demanding sexual favours in exchange for a job in Samoobrona, their populist political party.

The scandal rocked Polish politics and contributed to the plunge in popularity of the Kaczynski government and sparked the collapse of his coalition in the summer of 2007.

Lepper lost his seat in parliament in Poland’s autumn 2007 election.

source:

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/breaking-news/ex-deputy-pm-jailed-for-sex-crimes/story-fn3dxity-1225829509965

Prison guard fired for joining the KKK

A prison guard who acknowledged being a member of white supremacist group the Ku Klux Klan has been fired for belonging to a subversive or terrorist organisation, a violation of the county agency’s code of ethics.

Wayne Kerschner, an Alachua County Sheriff’s Office corrections officer, was fired on Tuesday following a 10-month internal investigation.

The investigation revealed that Kerschner applied online for membership to the United Northern and Southern Knights of the Ku Klux Klan a year ago, paid $US30 a month for access to a members-only Klan website and that the group did a thorough background check that included his credit history before allowing him to join.

Police Search for Texas Prison Guard Accused of Killing Wife, Mother-in-Law

 

Authorities from Texas to Florida were searching Monday for a prison guard accused of stabbing his wife and mother-in-law in a double-slaying witnessed by children.

Detectives in the Houston suburb of Rosenberg were looking for Albert James Turner, 44, who faces murder charges after an argument at the home of his in-laws turned violent early Sunday, Rosenberg police Lt. Colin Davidson said.

Turner has family near Orlando, Fla., and Davidson said law enforcement agencies all along Interstate 10 have been notified in case Turner is headed that way. The 6-foot-1 Turner weighs about 270 pounds and should be considered armed and dangerous, Davidson said.

Uniformed corrections officer shoplifts with nearly $3,000

VICTORVILLE • Authorities arrested a California Department of Corrections employee for shoplifting nearly $3,000 in merchandise from Target while in her uniform and with her 6-year-old son, San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Victorville station officials said.
Tonya Henderson, 40, stole several large-ticket items from the Target on Palmdale and Amargosa roads Tuesday, Arden Wiltshire, spokeswoman for the Sheriff’s Department said. She was arrested for commercial burglary.
“I do not recall ever having an incident like this occurring involving a corrections officer,” Wiltshire said.
Henderson was arrested and booked into West Valley Detention Center and her child was turned over to Child Protective Services, Wiltshire said

source: http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/victorville-16461-corrections-officer.html

Correctional officer, woman charged for bringing inmate marijuana, cigarettes

LEXINGTON, SC (WIS) – According to the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department, on Wednesday, December 30, deputies arrested a 35-year-old Columbia woman and a 29-year-old correctional officer on charges that the woman gave marijuana and cigarettes to the officer, who later brought the contraband into the Lexington County Detention Center.

The officer was fired after he was arrested.

Lexington County Sheriff James Metts said deputies arrested Tawanda Katherine Williams, 35, at 1:42 a.m. on Wednesday on charges of furnishing contraband to a prisoner, furnishing drugs to a prisoner and distributing marijuana.

Deputies arrested Phillip Anthony Fields, 29, at 2:45 a.m. on Wednesday on two counts of furnishing contraband to a prisoner, two counts of furnishing drugs to a prisoner, two counts of misconduct in office by a public official and one count of possessing marijuana.

Dallas County Jail guard admits inmate danced for her

 A Dallas County jail guard has resigned while under investigation for allowing a 20-year-old male inmate to perform a sexually suggestive dance for her to music this month, according to Sheriff’s Department reports.

The “lap dance” incident occurred in the county’s new direct supervision jail, where guards supervise inmates from inside the housing pods – a growing trend in corrections.

Witnesses said Officer Kytrina Lewis was close to the inmate, Gregory Miller of Dallas, and gave him her personal cellphone, which contained photos of her to which he masturbated.

Lewis said in a statement that she knew Miller from school.

“I asked Miller one day could he still dance like in school,” she said. “He stated yes, and on that particular day, he did dance seductively behind my desk.”

Ga. Detention Officer Allegedly Supplied Drugs To Inmates

A DeKalb County detention officer is off the job Wednesday following allegations that she supplied contraband to an inmate. Dianne Hill Simpson, 34, of Stone Mountain, allegedly accepted money to provide drugs to inmate Naquan Hart.

Hart was jailed on felony drug charges in October 2009 and now faces an additional felony charge.

Sheriff Thomas Brown said his agency has faced several challenges within the last nine months, with the arrest and/or firing of five detention officers, which includes Simpson, and one deputy sheriff.

“We conduct background checks on all persons hired. Even with prescreening that includes psychological profiles, though, it is obviously difficult in some cases to predict the behavior of an employee encountering the pressures of certain work environments,” said Brown.

Supplying contraband to inmates is a felony offense in Georgia and punishable by one to five years in prison if convicted. Simpson is charged with violation of oath by a public officer.

“I sincerely hope that others in law enforcement – and certainly those representing the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office — will learn from the mistakes of others and realize that errant and illegal behaviors are not tolerated,” Brown said, “and that we all must face the consequences of our decisions and actions.”

source: http://www.officer.com/online/article.jsp?siteSection=1&id=49904&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+officerrss%2Ftop_news_stories+%28Officer.com%3A+Top+News+Stories%29

Jail guard charged with touching female inmates

ORLANDO, Fla. — An Orange County Jail corrections officer is being investigated after female inmates accused him of inappropriately touching them.

Jail officials report that 53-year-old Michael Russell Combs will be on administrative leave with pay until the Orange County Sheriff’s Office concludes its criminal investigation. Combs was arrested Monday and charged with two counts of battery. He was released on bail later that day.

According to a sheriff’s office report, Combs admitted to patting two women on their butts and other inappropriate touching but insisted he was only trying to encourage the inmates.

Jail officials will continue an internal review once the sheriff’s office has finished its criminal investigation.

source: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/florida/AP/story/1397000.html

Five Virginia correctional officers charged in dog fondling

Five Virginia Department of Corrections officers have been charged with animal cruelty involving the fondling of a K-9 dog and videotaping the two incidents.

All five officers were training at the Academy for Staff Development in Goochland County to become K-9 handlers. They were charged across the James River in Powhatan County where the kennel is located, at the Powhatan Correctional Center.

Facing misdemeanor animal-cruelty charges are Kelvin Thompson, 25, who works at Green Rock Correctional Center in Chatham; Melvin Boone, 40, who worked at the state prison in Sussex County; Adam R. Webb, 27, and Cheri Campbell, 35, who work at Nottoway Correctional Center; and Anthony Eldridge, 33, a sergeant who worked at Nottoway.

Former prison officer jailed for smuggling

 

A former prison officer, who smuggled mobile phones, drugs and alcohol into Mountjoy Prison over a two year period, has been sentenced to four years in prison.

Dillon O’Brien, a father of three from Charnwood Meadows in Clonsilla in Dublin, pleaded guilty to trafficking mobile phones, cocaine, heroin and vodka into Mountjoy Prison between January 2005 and March 2007.

The 37-year-old also pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine at his home on 15 March 2007.

Jailer gets jail for having sex in jail

WENATCHEE, Wash. (AP) – A man accused of having sex with a prostitute in the Chelan County Jail when he was a jailer pleaded guilty to lying to police.

Thirty-seven-year-old William J. McMaster of Wenatchee was sentenced Dec. 1 in county district court to a day in jail with credit for time served.

The Wenatchee World reports he also was charged with sexual misconduct and patronizing a prostitute. The judge said those charges would be dropped if McMaster commits no more crimes in the next two years.

McMaster’s lawyer said he did not want to comment about the case. He is no longer employed by the jail.

The woman told deputies she engaged in consensual sex with McMaster in jail in November and December last year and after she was released.

source: http://www.katu.com/news/weird/78806867.html

Smuggling prison officer jailed

A prison officer who smuggled drugs in her bra into a maximum security prison has been jailed for seven years. Lucy Reynolds, 29, of St Philips Drive, Evesham, also smuggled phones and sim cards into Long Lartin Prison, near Evesham, Worcester Crown Court heard. She had pleaded guilty to misconduct in a public office and possession of heroin and cannabis with intent to supply. Prosecutors said the sentence reflected her “breach of trust”. Justice system ‘undermined’ Reynolds had pleaded guilty to the three charges at Worcester Crown Court in September. The court heard that she was given money from prisoners’ contacts for smuggling drugs and other items past the prison’s security systems over a four-month period in 2008. Reynolds told the court she had fallen in love with an inmate. Defence lawyers also told the court that she felt under pressure to smuggle items into the jail and inmates had threatened to scald her with water and oil if she refused. Paul Whitfield, crown advocate at the Crown Prosecution Service, said after the case: “The sentence is extremely serious. “Seven years is a high sentence but it reflects the breach of trust that is demonstrated by this behaviour.” ‘Strong message’ He said Reynolds had undermined the criminal justice system as well as security and seclusion at the Category A jail. Peter Luff, Conservative MP for Mid-Worcestershire, said the availability of drugs in prisons was a problem across the UK and he was “delighted” someone had been caught and given a “severe penalty”. He said: “I hope it sends a very strong message out to other people who may have access to prisoners and participate in this trade. “It’s not fair for the prisoners themselves. Prison should be an opportunity to get off drugs – not to feed the habit.” source” http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/hereford/worcs/8369079.stm

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Sorry for lack of post been busy with personal affairs, will be back shortly.