Piscataway Woman Admits Giving Cell Phone To Inmate Boyfriend

FREEHOLD, NJ — A Piscataway woman who worked as a guard at the Monmouth County jail admitted she gave a cell phone to an inmate who was under her supervision.

Latonya Johnson, 52, appeared before Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Christie Bevacqua last week, where she pleaded guilty to a second-degree charge of knowingly providing an electronic communication device to an inmate.

The two had formed a romantic relationship, and she told the court she gave the inmate the phone so she could communicate with him more frequently.

Johnson was employed as a correctional officer with the Monmouth County Sheriff at the time.

Upon entering her plea, Johnson permanently forfeited the right to seek future public employment in the state of New Jersey.

She will be sentenced January 12, 2024, at which time the Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago said he will seek that she serve three years in prison.

Some may speculate that three years in prison seems harsh for her crime. To that Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago said:

"While the conduct in this case is clearly not representative of the vast majority of our sworn members of law enforcement who routinely serve with distinction and honor here in Monmouth County, we strongly feel that such actions have no place within our ranks, and that this case was resolved appropriately. As a sworn corrections officer, she was aware of the grave implications that an un-monitored cell phone can pose in a secure facility that is tasked with not only protecting the officers, staff, and inmates at that location, but equally protecting the public from the risks that such a device can present."

She was charged with the crime in January of this year. Investigators say Johnson brought the cell phone into the jail sometime between May and October 2022, when she and the inmate were engaged in a romantic relationship.