Crime & Safety
Four Detention Officers Arrested for Smuggling Contraband to Inmates
The officers allegedly gave inmates cell phones, tobacco and fast food for money, which officials called a breach of trust and danger.
Four Anne Arundel County detention center officers find themselves on the other side of the justice system after they were arrested Tuesday for smuggling contraband into jail for inmates in exchange for money.
All four officers work at the Jennifer Road center in Annapolis, and are no on paid leave while their cases work through the court system. A grand jury on Friday handed down a 61-count indictment against the four suspects on charges ranging from attempted bribery of a public employee to misconduct in office, authorities said at a press conference.
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The illegal contraband brought into the jail included loose tobacco, cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, fast food, lighters, matches, an electronic cigarette and a cell phone and accessories.
Anne Arundel County Police Lt. T.J. Smith said investigators believe the officers hid the items on themselves, then left them at drop sites the inmates had access to in the center. Authorities wouldn’t specify how much money the accused employees were paid or where they left the items.
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“We believe it’s isolated to this group of four” suspects Smith said, but police will pursue any other tips of alleged wrongdoing.
State’s Attorney Wes Adams said that while smuggling tobacco, fast food items and cell phones may seem minor, “cell phones in our jail present a true threat to the administration of justice in our county.”
These arrests nip the problem in the bud before it could escalate, said County Executive Steve Schuh.
“I’m horrified at the apparent breach of public trust that we have just learned about,” Schuh said. “It appears that a small number of people have let us down. This investigation, these charges, make it clear that no one is above the law.”
The investigation began Jan. 26 when the Anne Arundel County Police Department was contacted by the Anne Arundel County Department of Detention Facilities about the possibility of detention officers smuggling illegal contraband into the Jennifer Road Detention Center.
The four jail employees charged are:
— Catherine Mae Windsor, 26, of Lothian, a two-year veteran of the department
- (2 Counts) Bribery/Public Employee
- (8 Counts) Misconduct in Office
- (1 Count) Count Conspiracy to Commit Misconduct in Office
- (5 Counts) Deliver Contraband
- (5 Counts) Possession of Contraband with Intent to Deliver
- (5 Counts) Possession of Contraband Place of Confinement
- (1 Count) Deliver Telecommunications Device
- (1 Count) Possess Telecommunications Device with Intent to Deliver
- (1 Count) Deposit & Conceal a Telecommunications Device
— James William Newsome Jr., 25, of Mechanicsville, a two-year employee of the department of
- (2 Counts) Bribery/Public Employee
- (5 Counts) Misconduct in Office
- (1 Count) Count Conspiracy to Commit Misconduct in Office
- (2 Counts) Deliver Contraband
- (2 Counts) Possession of Contraband with Intent to Deliver
- (2 Counts) Possession of Contraband Place of Confinement
— Kenyatta Ornell Trotter, 41, of Gwynn Oak, a 17-year veteran of the department
- (2 Counts) Attempted Bribery/Public Employee
- (4 Counts) Misconduct in Office
— Grayling Sylvester Jackson, 59, of Severn, a 17-year veteran of the department
- (2 Count) Attempted Bribery/Public Employee
- (4 Counts) Misconduct in Office
- (2 Counts) Deliver Contraband
- (2 Counts) Possession of Contraband with Intent to Deliver
- (2 Counts) Possession of Contraband Place of Confinement
“I am disappointed in the actions of these four detention officers, but information pertaining to improper conduct will be thoroughly investigated and appropriate action, including criminal prosecution, will be taken,” said Terry Kokolis, superintendent of the Anne Arundel County Department of Detention Facilities. “More importantly, their actions are not reflective of the honest and hardworking staff assigned to the Department of Detention Facilities.”
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