More arrests expected
By DON FLETCHER
News Staff Writer
Escambia County Sheriff Heath Jackson announced August 11 that a corrections officer at the county jail was arrested for helping sneak contraband into the facility. He added that more arrests could be forthcoming as a probe into ethics violations among jail staff continues.
Sheriff’s office investigators, along with Federal Bureau of Investigations agents, took Lakerdra Shanta Snowden, 30, who was at the time of her arrest a corrections officer at the Escambia County Detention Center, into custody.
The arrest is the result of a joint operation between ECSO and the FBI into the smuggling of drugs, electronics and other contraband into the facility.
Jail records show that Snowden is charged with one count each of using her official position for personal gain (ethics violation) and first-degree promotion of prison contraband.
The sheriff said Snowden was immediately terminated from her jail position. She was released August 12 from the facility where she once worked, after a $100,000 bond was posted on her behalf.
Jackson added that more charges are likely to arise from the ongoing investigation.
“This is still an ongoing investigation, and more charges are anticipated,” he said. “We will continue to arrest and prosecute anyone who is involved with bringing contraband into the detention facility.”