Two Jail Guards Arrested on Federal Charges

LIBERTY, January 22, 2008 - Liberty County Sheriff’s investigators working with DPS Narcotics, U.S. Marshal’s Service and Liberty-Chambers County Narcotics Task Force arrested two guards employed by CiviGenics for Conspiracy to Deliver a Controlled Substance to a Federal Inmate in a Correctional Facility.

CivieGenics operates several jail and prison facilities in Texas and Ohio including the IAH (Polk County) Detention Center in Livingston, TX., according to their company website.

Shondalyn S. Jones age 25 of Dayton and Manitra L. Taylor age 41 of Cleveland were arrested at ll:45am in a parking lot at the intersection of Main Street and US 90 in Liberty after they took delivery of marijuana and ecstasy and $1,000. Both arrests were made without incident.

The investigation began a couple of weeks ago after information was obtained about the plan. Sheriff Arthur said this was a cooperative effort between Liberty County Sheriff’s Office, CiviGenics, DPS Narcotics, US Marshals and the Liberty-Chamber Counties Narcotics Task Force.

Both defendants were transported to Beaumont and will be arraigned in Federal Court on two counts of Conspiracy to Deliver a Controlled Substance to an inmate in the Liberty County Jail.

Sheriff Arthur said that since the inmate was in the custody of the US Marshal Service and was being housed in the Liberty County Jail, they will be charged in U.S. Federal Court. Since there was a conspiracy to deliver two substances it constitutes two separate charges. Both charges are felonies. The marijuana delivery charge is punishable by confinement for 5 to 40 years. The ecstasy delivery charge is punishable by confinement for 10 to 40 years.

Both employees have been terminated by CiviGenics.

Sheriff Arthur said that he and CiviGenics Corp. take this type of offense very seriously and anyone, especially an employee, trying to deliver contraband into the facility will be prosecuted.

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