MC jailer charged with furnishing prohibited articles to inmates



A former Marion County Detention Center jailer, 32-year-old Rickey Morgan of Harrison, has been charged with two felony counts of furnishing prohibited articles to inmates.
According to the probable cause affidavit filed Friday morning, for several months the Marion County Sheriff’s Office has been receiving information from several unrelated individuals alleging Morgan was introducing contraband into the county jail.
The reports were similar, noting someone could be contacted to drop off items with money and place it in a black Ford Taurus belonging to Morgan. Morgan would then allegedly keep the money and deliver the item to the inmate that ordered it. It was also reported Morgan would allow inmates to use his personal cellphone to make these transactions.
On July 18th, a sheriff’s criminal investigator advised Morgan an order had been placed and would be delivered to his vehicle that evening. That evening, an undercover cop placed a can of tobacco along with $50 in Morgan’s vehicle. A short time later, the sheriff’s department security cameras show Morgan walking to his car and retrieving the money and tobacco from his car. He placed the money in his pocket and the tobacco in his leg cargo pocket. He then returned to the jail.

About five minutes later, a camera shows Morgan walk to a cell, reach into his cargo pocket, pull out an item and hand it into the pass-through on the cell door.The following morning just before 5:00, Morgan was brought into the department’s interview room and advised of his Miranda rights prior to questioning.

He allegedly admitted allowing inmates to use his cellphone, saying the jail administrator would not allow them to make extra calls, and he felt sorry for them. He also allegedly admitted to bringing contraband into the jail for money.

Online jail records indicate Morgan was booked into the detention center shortly before 9:30 Thursday night and released about 30 minutes later after posting a $1,000 bond. He is set to appear in Marion County Circuit Court later this month.

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