Detention Officer's Uniform Cut Off In Video Following Arrest
A detention officer in Georgia was filmed in a now-deleted clip having his uniform cut off after he was arrested following an undercover operation looking into claims of contraband being supplied to inmates.
In a media release on Sunday, the Wayne County Sheriff's Office in Georgia announced that it had arrested Dayton Beasley and accused him of supplying inmates at the Wayne County Jail with contraband.
The department said Beasley has been stripped of his authority as a detention officer and arrested on multiple charges, including trading with inmates without consent of a warden or superintendent and crossing the guard line with a controlled substance.
The authorities told local ABC affiliate WJCL that they suspect other officers were involved in the alleged scheme and said more arrests and charges are expected as the investigation continues.
The authorities began investigating Beasley two weeks ago after the sheriff's office received "credible complaints" about the "corruption of one detention officer," with the investigation carried out by the department and the Jesup Wayne Tactical Narcotics Team.
Following the announcement of Beasley's arrest, the sheriff's office posted a video to Facebook showing the former detention officer having his work shirt cut off by other officers while standing handcuffed.
The department later removed the video and issued an apology for uploading it to those "that opposed the post," but defended its actions as "a show of transparency" with local residents.
"We felt that everyone wanted to know what was going on and feel this video did just that. There was no property damaged that belonged to the young man shown and as far as embarrassed, I am sure he was embarrassed from the get go," the department wrote.
"I have read where people said what was there and even a picture showed up of drug related items. All I can say is the truth will come out as to what all was involved in the charges."
It is not uncommon for detention officers to help smuggle items into prisons for inmates, and in July a South Carolina correctional officer was charged with allegedly smuggling pills into prison by concealing them inside Rice Krispies snacks.
Marcy T. Shaffer was arrested and charged with misconduct in office, possession of narcotics with intent to distribute and furnishing prisoners with contraband, after being caught attempting to smuggle a small number of adulterated Rice Krispies Treats into the prison.
Meanwhile, in a more unusual method a cat was caught smuggling drugs into the Nueva Esperanza Prison in Panama in April after guards previously caught homing pigeons attempting to deliver narcotics into the facility.
Newsweek has contacted the Wayne County Sheriff's Office for comment.
