Mercer Corrections Officer Pleads Guilty To Smuggling Drugs Into Jail For Bribes

MERCER COUNTY, NJ — A Mercer County correctional officer has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery after admitting he accepted payments from inmates in exchange for smuggling contraband — including illicit narcotics and tobacco — into the Mercer County Correctional Center for nearly five years, Attorney General Jennifer Davenport said.

Tyree L. Hobbs, 42, of Hamilton, entered the guilty plea May 1 before Criminal Presiding Judge Peter E. Warshaw in Mercer County Superior Court. The charge, conspiracy to commit bribery, is a third-degree offense.

Hobbs joined the Mercer County Department of Corrections (MCDC) in February 2017. According to prosecutors, the criminal conduct began approximately 10 months later and continued until July 2022, when he was suspended without pay — a span of nearly five years.

Investigators found that Hobbs periodically received sealed packages from inmate affiliates outside the Hopewell Township-based jail. He then brought those packages into the facility and concealed them in locations accessible to the intended recipients. The packages contained contraband, including in some cases illicit narcotics and tobacco.

State regulations and MCDC policies prohibit the possession, sale or use of contraband in the facility. Officers are also prohibited from establishing personal relationships with inmates, trading or bartering with them, or giving or receiving gifts from any inmate or an inmate's relatives, friends or representatives.

"Corrections officers have challenging jobs that are integral to public safety, and the vast majority of them fulfill their roles with integrity," Davenport said Tuesday. "But in this case, the defendant admitted to exploiting his access to a correctional facility for personal gain. Any public employee that betrays the public trust in this way should not be working in government, and this resolution ensures that."

Under a plea agreement with the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability, prosecutors will recommend that Hobbs receive a sentence of probation with the condition that he serve 364 days in county jail. He will also be required to forfeit all public employment and will be permanently disqualified from holding any public office or position of honor, trust or profit in New Jersey government at any level.

Sentencing is scheduled for July 17.

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