A Florida law enforcement officer allegedly smuggled marijuana brownies into a jail where he worked and sold them to inmates, who paid him through a money transfer app.
Hillsborough County Detention Officer Terry Bradford, Jr. is facing charges of introducing contraband into a detention center and possession of a controlled substance, WTVT-TV reported.
Police said a source tipped them off that inmates were paying Bradford via CashApp for the cannabis-infused brownies. He was then caught carrying more than a pound of brownies to the Falkenberg Road Jail, Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said Thursday.
“He vowed to stand up for all that is good and fair. His greed got the better of him,” Chronister told reporters at a news conference on Thursday. “Think of the danger this creates. It can lead to gambling. It can lead to violence.”
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Inmates await their video appearances in a jail.
(AP Photo/The Saginaw News/MLive.com, Jeff Schrier)
Investigators are still working to determine the full size and scope of the scheme and to determine if other employees were involved, Chronister said. But officials believe Bradford brought in pot brownies at least twice and made “a few thousand” dollars.
While there are strict protocols in place for entering the jail, detention officers working 12-hour shifts are allowed to bring their own food and Bradford is believed to have taken advantage of that policy.
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Faulkenberg Jail in Hillsborough County, Florida.
(Google Maps)
Chronister said Bradford previously worked at a Florida Department of Corrections facility in Zephryhills, Florida.
“I think this is your first rodeo?” Chronister said. “No, i do not do it”.
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A jar containing a strain of marijuana nicknamed “Killer D” is seen at a medical marijuana facility.
Bradford is now on administrative leave without pay pending an internal investigation, the sheriff’s office said in a news release.
