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Bellatrix

10/06/04 | APRIL FRAWLEY | The Sun-Herald.com

Deputy Charged with Bringing Drugs into Jail

A Charlotte County Sheriff's Office corrections deputy was arrested Monday after investigators reportedly discovered he was slipping drugs and tobacco to a Charlotte County Jail inmate.

Deputy Anthony Wayne Phyles, 25, was charged with possession of a controlled substance, introduction of contraband and conspiracy for allegedly trying to bring Xanax pills and tobacco to Jason Edwin Jefferies, 28, an accused purse-snatcher in jail on multiple charges.

A confidential informant at the jail told investigators Friday that Phyles was being paid to bring Jefferies packages of Marijuana, lighters and tobacco from the inmate's girlfriend, Tina Pringle, 19, of 11730 Anne St. in Arcadia.

Bellatrix; the "confidential informant" trick is pretty nasty. Nice to see it get turned on someone who has no doubt used it on someone else.

According to reports, the informant said Pringle was sneaking packages into Phyles' truck in the jail parking lot and that the deputy would then smuggle the items to Jefferies after his afternoon break.

Jefferies reportedly told authorities after he, Pringle and Phyles were arrested, that the deputy had slipped him contraband items four to five times.

On Monday, when Pringle was scheduled to visit Jefferies at the jail, detectives watched as she allegedly placed a brown bag filled with tobacco, Xanax pills and $50 for Phyles inside the deputy's truck. Phyles then allegedly retrieved the package and brought it back inside the jail.

Investigators searched Phyles when he came back inside the jail, reportedly finding two packages of tobacco and two Xanax pills.

Phyles, whom the Sheriff's Office hired a year ago, reportedly told authorities he was bringing the tobacco to Jefferies out of kindness.

Pringle was arrested on charges of attempted introduction of contraband, three counts of possession of controlled substances and conspiracy when she tried to leave the jail Monday.

Jefferies, of 5150 Placida Road in Englewood, was charged with conspiracy to introduce contraband on Tuesday.

Bob Carpenter, spokesman for the Sheriff's Office, said jail workers have tried to smuggle drugs into the jail before. Most recently, he said, it was a group of civilian cafeteria workers who tried to sneak contraband items into the jail for inmates.

"It does happen all the time in jails," he said. "We certainly don't approve of it."

Bellatrix; they can't keep the stuff out of the prisons, but they seem to think that they can keep it away from the rest of us? How can prohibitionist policies, so counter-productive and illogical, still be in use?

Carpenter said the Sheriff's Office relies on informants and investigators to stop people from smuggling illegal items inside the jail. Officers there do search jail cells every once in a while, but employees are not routinely searched.

The first assignment for many deputies in Charlotte County is at the jail, Carpenter said. Employees, he said, are screened for six months before they are hired.

Phyles was released from the jail Monday on $15,000 bond. Pringle was released on $22,500 bond. Jefferies is being held at the jail on $80,000 bond.

You can e-mail April Frawley at afrawley@sun-herald.com.

Bellatrix; those are some pretty high bonds. Is there any violent crime here? Was someone harmed or violated by any of this activity somehow? I'll bet Jefferies bond for his purse-snatching was much lower than $80 000. What was the point of any of this? Just another big fat waste of time, evenrgy and resources, brought to you by Prohibition.

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Silva Haze J

Why is Jefferies bail $80,000 and the deputy's was $15,000 and the girlfriends was $22,500?

Stephanie S.

I don't see how prohibition has anything to do with this.
A purse snatcher, a crooked deputy wit Xanax and tobacco. I don't think repealing prohibition laws would have any impact of a case such as this.

peace

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"See, in my line of work you got to keep repeating things over and over and over again for the truth to sink in, to kind of catapult the propaganda." —George W. Bush, Greece, N.Y., May 24, 2005 (Listen to audio)