Marshall County jail institutes new rules for visitors

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The Marshall County Sheriff’s Office opened its doors in April 2017. Since the beginning, Marshall County Sheriff Danny Cryer and the deputies were a little lenient on incoming inmates. Cryer allowed the inmate’s family members to bring the inmate certain items like clothing and hygiene items during the first seven days of incarceration.

Cryer said this was to allow the inmate time to get adjusted. “This allowed the inmate time to set up a commissary account and order the hygiene items and snacks that they preferred to have while in custody instead of the generic hygiene items that the jail provided to indigent inmates.”

In the past, this program worked with only a few hiccups. “This program has occasionally caused a few issues, but nothing that would cause an undue amount of concern. The jail would generally know which inmate’s property to keep a closer eye than usual on, just due to the charges, and most of the contraband was found by the jail staff long before it made it to the inmates,” Cryer noted.

Unfortunately, some inmates were taking advantage of Cryer’s kindness, forcing him to implement new rules at the county jail. Cryer said recently, the Sheriff’s Office uncovered a smuggling plot. The ploy worked by convincing the newly arrested inmates to allow the current inmate’s family members to bring hygiene items. Then, the current inmate would keep one item, and give the other ones to the new inmate as “payment” for allowing the items to come in under their name.

Typically, the item kept by the current inmate was the one that held the contraband item. Most items smuggled in were tobacco or drugs.

Cryer said recently, the detention officers found two plastic straws filled with tobacco. The culprit had sealed the ends of the straws by melting them, then placing them inside a bottle body wash. Another attempt by the same group of inmates was two plastic tubes hidden in a tube of toothpaste. Cryer said these tubes contained Methamphetamine.

The sheriff said he originally allowed this to make it easier on the family members, but that must change. “I was hoping to continue to allow these items in to try and lessen the expense on each family but [we] cannot maintain a secure jail if I allow criminals to attempt to take advantage of my kindness by attempting to smuggle drugs into the jail.”

According to court records, there were six people involved in the most recent jail smuggling attempts. On November 6, Cameron Lindsey, Buddy Moody, Darius Seals, Kyla Barnes, Judy Lindsey and Grady Widener have all been charged with Conspiracy to Defraud the Marshall County Jail.

Cameron Lindsey, a 25-year-old male from Madill has an extensive list of priors. He has four felony convictions of Possession, one count of Bringing Contraband into a Jail/Penal Institution. Cameron pled guilty to the charge in 2016, and it looks as if he tried it again. He is currently facing two counts of Conspiracy to Defraud the Marshall County Jail, Possession of a Firearm While in the Commission of a Felony, First Degree Burglary, Unauthorized Use of a Police Radio, Attempted Robbery with a Dangerous Weapon, Aggravated Assault and Battery, Possession with the Intent to Distribute within 1000 Feet of a School, Possession of Counterfeit CDS with the Intent to Distribute, and Intimidation of a States Witness. He also has various misdemeanors for Possession.

Barnes, a 33-year-old female from Mannsville was charged with two counts of Conspiracy to Defraud the Marshall County Jail. She only has two prior misdemeanors. One conviction of Obstructing an Officer in Marshall County and one in Johnston County.

For his part in the smuggling event, Moody, a 39-yearold male from Kingston was charged with one count of Conspiracy to Defraud the Marshall County Jail. His list of priors includes Possession with the Intent to Distribute, Resisting an Officer, and a few misdemeanors for Aggravated DUI, and Domestic Abuse/Assault and Battery. He is also currently facing Larceny of an Automobile charge.

Widener, a 35-year-old male from Mead was charged with one count of the Conspiracy charge. He has one misdemeanor in Marshall County for Violating a Protection Order. However, in Bryan County, he has two convictions of Domestic Abuse/Assault and Battery, one Domestic Abuse/Assault and Battery with a Dangerous Weapon, which are all felonies. His misdemeanors are for DUI, Possession and Transporting an Open Container – Beer.

Seals, a 20-year-old from Madill was also charged with one count of Conspiracy, and has a Second-Degree Burglary felony conviction in Marshall County. He is currently facing Shooting with the Intent to Kill, Feloniously Pointing a Firearm, and Possess of a Firearm After a Formal Conviction of a Felony. Seals also has Possession of a Firearm After a Formal Conviction of a Felony, and Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle from Carter County. Those convictions have Bench Warrants for Motion to Vacate his Probation on those charges.

Judy Lindsey, a 63-year-old from Madill was charged with one count of Conspiracy. Her background only shows traffic tickets for Speeding and No Seatbelt.

Cryer said the recent events forced him to restructure how inmates get items. “Due to these events, the Sheriff’s Office will no longer be able to accept hygiene items brought in by family members during the first few days of incarceration.”

On November 8, a seventh person –Jessie Easley – was added to the list and charged with Conspiracy to Defraud the