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Friday, July 30, 2010 | Serving Del Rio and Val Verde County: Since 1929
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Jailer arrested
Published March 25, 2008
A jailer at the Val Verde Correctional Facility was arrested Friday for allegedly bringing marijuana into the jail for an inmate or inmates in the facility.
Jose Alberto Ybarra, 20, 102 Gilchrist Lane, was arrested Friday and charged with the offense of prohibited substances and items in adult or juvenile correctional or detention facility or on property of Texas Department of Criminal Justice or Texas Youth Commission, said Val Verde County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Larry Pope, who heads the VVSO’s criminal investigations division.
Pope said Val Verde County Sheriff A. D’Wayne Jernigan Friday asked him to meet with John Campbell, warden of The GEO Group’s Val Verde Correctional Facility, about Ybarra.
“The warden suspected a jailer of bringing (marijuana) into the jail,” Pope said. “We set up a surveillance and when the suspect jailer arrived at work Friday, he was stopped and escorted into a conference room.”
Pope said Ybarra was found to be carrying 1.1 ounces of marijuana concealed in the rolled-up cuff of his left shirtsleeve.
Pope said Ybarra was also carrying four $50 bills.
“He later admitted that this is what he was being paid to deliver the marijuana,” Pope said.
The sheriff’s office investigator noted that Ybarra said he was paid the $200 to deliver the marijuana to an inmate tank in the Val Verde Correctional Facility that houses suspected members of the Mexican Mafia prison gang.
Pope said Ybarra had access to the tank in the course of his work as a jailer employed by The GEO Group Inc.
Pope said Ybarra has worked for the jail since October 2007.
“During the course of the interview, the subject also admitted that he has done this at least once before in the past,” Pope said.
He said the charge against Ybarra is a third-degree felony.
Jernigan said the issue of bringing contraband items into the jail is one that will continue to be addressed as it arises.
“We will continue to be especially vigilant for those that would take advantage of their position to bring contraband into the detention facility and those that choose to violate the law will be investigated by this office and dealt with according to the law,” Jernigan said.
“I’m also very proud of the deputies who assist me in maintaining this vigilance, insuring that we do have a safe and secure facility. I especially appreciate our criminal investigations division, headed by Lt. Pope, and I appreciate our jail monitor Deputy Cody Wheeler, who daily looks at the trends and activities in the facility, as well as the jail staff and Warden John Campbell,” the sheriff added.
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