California: In a ruling that highlights the complexities of holding corrupt staff financially accountable, the California Court of Appeal recently restored the pension of former San Francisco jail guard April Myres, 61, on December 26, 2025. Bloomberg Law reported that federal prosecutors charged Myres in 2017 with mail and wire fraud after she orchestrated an insurance scam with a prisoner lover. Myres filed fraudulent claims for her department-issued handgun and radio, falsely reporting them stolen in a burglary. While the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) argued that Myres’ “job-related” criminal conduct justified revoking her benefits, the appellate court disagreed. The Court ruled that because her fraud did not technically arise from her “official duties,” she remains eligible for her pension. This decision showcases a loophole where guards can exploit public resources for criminal gain while maintaining their taxpayer-funded retirement.

Florida: After a display of custodial brutality, DeSoto County Jail guard Sgt. Louis Tovar, 29, was fired and arrested on December 24, 2025, for the battery of two unnamed detainees. According to WWSB in Sarasota, surveillance footage from December 13, 2025, captured Tovar, a shift supervisor, repeatedly punching and kicking the men during a routine cell transfer at the DeSoto County Jail in Arcadia. Tovar now faces two criminal counts of battery following an internal review that found probable cause for his arrest. Sadly, without video oversight, staff-led violence such as Tovar’s often remains hidden.

Florida: WCJB in Gainesville reported that Devin Waldeck, 35, a state Department of Corrections (DOC) guard at the Cross City Correctional Institution, was arrested on December 11, 2025, on federal charges of sexual exploitation and distribution of child pornography found during an FBI raid on Waldeck’s apartment located on the grounds of the Florida state prison. If convicted, the guard faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years and a maximum of 30 years in federal prison.

Florida: Demonstrating that being on the job for only a short time does not prevent misconduct, Taaron Clayton, 25, who had only worked for nine months as a Jacksonville jail guard, was arrested on December 30, 2025, for misdemeanor battery. According to WJXT in Jacksonville, the arrest followed a December 27 incident at the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) pre-trial detention facility in which Clayton allegedly exposed his genitals and grabbed a female coworker’s hips. Clayton was immediately terminated and was not able to take advantage of civil service protections due to his probationary status. Clayton’s arrest was the fifth arrest of a JSO employee since December 30, 2025. Despite the sexual nature of the assault, Clayton faces only a first-degree misdemeanor charge and was released on a $20,000 bond.

France: In a glaring indictment of deteriorating French carceral infrastructure, two unnamed prisoners successfully breached security at the antiquated Dijon prison on November 27, 2025. Their escape points to a systemic failure to secure the prison’s perimeter against modern technology and maintain basic structural integrity. According to CBS News, the 29- and 32-year-old fugitives utilized manual saw blades, suspected to have been delivered by drone, to sever cell bars. The prison, built in 1853, suffers from severe dilapidation and overcrowding and houses 311 prisoners in a space designed for 180. Despite prior discoveries of contraband blades, guards failed to prevent their delivery or the subsequent use of bed sheets to scale down the prison walls. Both men were recaptured three weeks later, on December 18, 2025. In July 2025, a Council of Europe report ranked prison overcrowding in France as the third worst in Europe, after Slovenia and Cyprus.

Georgia: The Root reported a bizarre incident involving a state DOC guard that unfolded on December 18, 2025. That’s when Quantraves Hall, 25, was arrested after terrorizing state social workers after he allegedly stormed the Department of Family and Child Services office in Warner Robbins, locked the doors to prevent staff from escaping, and launched a tirade of threats. The assault left employees visibly shaken, with one suffering a hyperventilation attack. Hall admitted to locking the staff inside and attempting to breach restricted areas but later became argumentative with police, refusing to name his supervisor. He was charged with four counts each of false imprisonment and terroristic threats and acts, according to the Houston County Sheriff’s Office. After being detained in the Houston County Jail, Hall posted bond. The DOC fired him the next day. Hall, who had worked at Central State Prison in Macon, was released on bond and court dates were not known at the time of this publication.

Georgia: As WRDW in Augusta reported, Richmond County jail guard Avery Matthew Wood, 23, was arrested on January 6, 2026, for the sexual abuse of a detainee. Wood is charged with three felonies: rape, sexual assault, and violation of his oath of office. The assaults occurred at the Charles B. Webster Detention Center in Augusta during October and November of 2025. Authorities emphasized that because of the inherent power imbalance, any sexual contact in a carceral setting constitutes rape as a matter of law.

Georgia: On New Year’s Day 2026, Milledgeville police intercepted a massive 30-pound drone intended for a prison drop at Baldwin State Prison in Hardwick, according to The Baldwin Bulletin. Authorities arrested Jeffery Young, 39, Cardell Merrick, 48, and Nikita Swanson, 48, all from LaGrange, after a K-9 unit tracked the individuals through nearby woods. The sophisticated operation involved multiple vehicles with the drone carrying $8,000 in cash and contraband items. While police forced the aircraft down, they noted that federal law prohibits shooting drones, classifying them as protected aircraft. Baldwin State Prison remains a focal point for aerial smuggling, with officials intercepting four to five drones monthly. Major Brandon Sellers estimated that hundreds of illicit cell phones remain in circulation within the lockup, fueled by a growing statewide contraband crisis that Georgia legislators are now working to address.

Hawaii: The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported that Hawaiian prison guard Aukusitino I. Noga Jr., 39, was banned for life on December 23, 2025, from all Department of Education properties after brutally assaulting a high school official. In a display of violent entitlement frequently seen behind prison walls, the 310-pound guard allegedly punched Moanalua High’s associate athletic director leaving her concussed on the pavement for ten minutes on December 4, 2025. The attack followed Noga’s racist heckling of white referees during his son’s basketball game. Despite three prior convictions for harassment and criminal property damage during his 14-year career, Noga remained on the state payroll as of January 2026. The Hawaii Department of Public Safety (recently transitioned into the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation) has not officially confirmed Noga’s termination, though he was placed on unpaid administrative leave pending the outcome of the criminal case and an internal investigation.

Iowa: In a move that signaled a disregard for the safety of incarcerated patients, the Iowa Dental Board reinstated the license of Dr. Paymun Bayati, 60, on November 7, 2025, The Des Moines Register reported.Bayati was arrested at the Anamosa State Penitentiary after performing a root canal while severely intoxicated in December 2023, as PLN reported. Staff said Bayati smelled heavily of alcohol, was staggering, and had trouble handling dental instruments. A subsequent breath test revealed a blood alcohol level of 0.158, nearly twice the legal limit. [See: PLN, Mar. 2024, p.62.] Despite the clinical danger posed to prisoner patients, the board restored his license, contingent upon monitoring. Bayati, for his defense, claimed that his dental assistant “poisoned” his coffee with isopropyl alcohol.

Iowa: KCCI in Des Moines reported that, on January 9, 2026, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled Sara Montague may proceed with a gross negligence lawsuit against state DOC administrators, striking a significant blow to the doctrine of state immunity. Montague, the widow of murdered guard Robert McFarland, alleges that systemic failures led to her husband’s 2021 death during a brutal hammer attack by prisoners at the Anamosa State Penitentiary.

PLN previously covered the scandal that arose after the fatal attack when the DOC paid consultant CGL $500,000 for a security audit that blamed underfunding, despite CGL failing to disclose its involvement in a Mississippi corruption scandal. [See: PLN, June 2022, p. 24.] The state previously moved to dismiss Montague’s suit, arguing that workers’ compensation is the exclusive remedy for workplace injuries. However, the Court’s ruling affirms that the “exclusive remedy” rule does not shield individual administrators from liability when “gross negligence” is alleged. This decision allows the litigation to target officials who oversaw dangerously low staffing levels and lax tool-control protocols, which Montague contends created an inevitably fatal environment.

Louisiana: Former federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) guard Gregory Fournet, 33, was sentenced on December 5, 2025, to a mere 10 months in prison. According to KALB in Alexandria, Fournet, who was previously assigned to the Federal Correctional Center Oakdale in Allen Parish, pleaded guilty to abusive sexual contact involving a victim under his authority during a ten-day period in June 2024. Despite the predatory nature of his crimes, the court granted Fournet’s request to serve his time “as close to home as possible.” While he must register as a sex offender and face five years of supervised release, a sub-year sentence for custodial sexual abuse points to a persistent failure to adequately punish the sexual misconduct of guards.

Louisiana: WAFB in Baton Rouge reported that on January 5, 2026, Angola prison guard sergeant Alsaysia Bates, 24, was arrested for malfeasance in office after authorities discovered three cell phones in her vehicle. A search at the Louisiana State Penitentiary uncovered the contraband on December 21, 2025. Investigators revealed that information found on the devices indicated a criminal breach of security, leading to a warrant for her arrest. Bates resigned following the discovery and was booked into the West Feliciana Parish Jail.

Michigan: Scammers defrauded a Michigan mother and her daughter of $2,100 following the arrest of the daughter in Oakland County for driving while intoxicated during the first week of January 2026. According to WDIV in Detroit, the women chose to remain anonymous. Monitoring online detainee rosters to identify recent bookings, the fraudster impersonated a sheriff’s deputy and contacted the family. Using the pretext of COVID-19 restrictions to bypass in-person bond procedures, the scammer coerced the family into making digital payments for a $500 bond, a $480 tether device, and $900 for mandatory classes. Because the victims “willingly” transferred the money via apps, financial institutions refused to issue refunds. Michigan State Police say that any requests for money over the phone related to jail bonds are scams. Investigators warned that the scammers like to prey upon younger arrestees and their families.

Mississippi: The Magnolia State continues to grapple with a pervasive culture of custodial sexual violence. According to Biloxi’s Sun Herald, in October 2025, former George County Jail guard Robert Christopher Miller, 41, pleaded guilty to unlawful sexual activity with a prisoner. Sentencing was set for February 2026 in George County Circuit Court before Judge Kathy King Jackson. Miller faced a recommended three-year prison term for the 2021 incident where he exploited a jailed woman for oral sex. This case follows a disturbing pattern of guard misconduct in the region. Previously, Jackson County jailers Jonathan Jenkins (in 2017) and Bradley Scott Davis (in 2016) were sentenced for similar sexual offenses against female prisoners. Perhaps most notorious was George County guard Warren Avery, sentenced in 2018 to two years for the 2016 rape of a woman jailed simply for unpaid traffic fines.

Nevada: As of January 2026, Chad Ollinger, star of Discovery’s “Mystery at Blind Frog Ranch,” was facing an open murder charge following the brutal death of his cellmate, Christopher Kelly. KOLD in Tucson, Arizona, reported that on December 26, 2025, Clark County Detention Center staff found Kelly, 42, dead from blunt force injuries following a physical altercation inside their shared cell. Ollinger, in custody since October 2025, reportedly claimed “supernatural abilities” led him to believe Kelly was a pedophile, stating, “If I know something about somebody that’s bad, I take care of it.” Already a fugitive from Texas for evading arrest, Ollinger, 41, was scheduled for release on January 12, 2026, before this latest display of custodial violence. He was then scheduled to be back in court on January 21, 2026, after Judge Eric Goodman requested Ollinger be evaluated by doctors for competency before the case moves forward.

New Hampshire: A guard at the Rockingham County Jail in Brentwood sustained life-threatening injuries on January 13, 2026, following a violent confrontation with prisoner Thomas Ludwig, 31. According to WMUR in Manchester, court documents revealed that an argument over a cell return escalated when Ludwig allegedly body-slammed the guard head-first into the concrete floor. Surveillance footage captured the guard going limp and bleeding heavily from a significant head wound. Medical evaluations confirmed three brain bleeds, requiring the guard’s transfer to a Boston-area hospital for specialized care. While Ludwig claims self-defense, he faces first- and second-degree assault charges. Prosecutors highlighted his “dangerousness,” and a competency hearing was scheduled for February 2026.

New York: After nearly 34 years in state lockups, prisoner Allen Porter, 54, was released on January 30, 2026. A Queens judge agreed with him “that your constitutional rights were violated and you were denied a fair trial,” the New York Times reported. The low-level drug dealer has consistently maintained his innocence in the 1991 double murder of a high-level dealer and his wife. He won release with the aid of a legal research firm launched by his friend and fellow former prisoner, Jabbar Collins. After his own 2010 exoneration, Collins collected $13 million in a suit that exposed corruption in the office of the Brooklyn District Attorney (DA). In the ruling freeing Porter, Judge Michelle A. Johnson castigated the Queens DA’s office for “alarming” instances of withheld evidence. It was Collins who traveled to secure confessions from two eyewitnesses that their testimony was coerced. He also uncovered proof that a third eyewitness received leniency that was never disclosed. Porter’s attorneys, whom Collins also recruited for his friend, said “that not a single one of the prosecution’s witnesses is untainted.”

New York: On December 23, 2025, former Seneca County Jail guard Sgt. Robert “Tyler” Williams was arrested following a multi-agency investigation into the sexual exploitation of a child. WHAM in Rochester reported that the 32-year-old guard faces felony charges of criminal possession of a sexual performance by a child and criminal possession of a firearm. The arrest followed a forensic analysis of electronic devices seized during a search of Williams’ Waterloo residence. The case highlights the persistent failure of vetting processes in the hiring of state and county guards. Williams’s employment was terminated and he was held at the Seneca County Jail, the same lockup where he previously worked.

New York: Former Oswego County Jail guard Christopher Weber, 37, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for the possession and promotion of child pornography on November 11, 2025, according to Oswego County News Now. Weber, of Mexico, New York, pleaded guilty to five felony counts after investigators discovered hundreds of illicit images and videos on his cellular phone. Oswego County Court Judge Karen Brandt Brown delivered the sentence as five consecutive two-year terms, ensuring the former guard faces a decade behind bars. PLN previously reported that Christopher Weber was arrested on March 26, 2025, for possessing and accessing hundreds of child pornography images and videos while on duty. [See: PLN, June 2025, p. 62.]

North Carolina: According to WRAL in Raleigh, 37-year-old state prison guard Shanese Sanders was arrested on November 28, 2025, for attempting to smuggle narcotics into the Nash Correctional Institute. During a search of her vehicle, county deputies discovered substantial quantities of the synthetic cannabinoid “K2” and Suboxone, all wrapped in clear plastic for delivery to a prisoner. Sanders now faces six felony counts, including possession with intent to distribute and introducing controlled substances onto prison premises. Sanders was released on a $70,000 bond. No results of her November 29, 2025, court appearance were made public.

North Carolina: Kerwin Pittman, an advocate for the formerly incarcerated, purchased the shuttered Wayne Correctional Center in Goldsboro. According to NC Newsline, the purchase was made with the intent of transforming the 400-bed prison into a comprehensive re-entry campus. Pitt­man, who is 34 and served over 11 years in the North Carolina prison system, founded the non-profit, Recidivism Reduction Educational Program Services, Inc. (RREPS), to bridge the gap between release and successful reintegration, a transition often sabotaged by a lack of stable housing and vocational training. Pittman’s vision replaces cell blocks with a “stabilization phase,” offering 300 residents six-month stays to obtain high-demand trade certifications in fields like plumbing and HVAC. By repurposing a site once dedicated to human warehousing, Pittman aims to provide the structural support the state historically denies to those re-entering society.

Ohio: WHIO in Dayton reported that former Warren County jailer Joshua Fritz, 30, faces a five-count felony indictment for smuggling narcotics into the Warren County Correctional Institution located between Cincinnati and Dayton. In the indictment, handed down on January 4, 2025, prosecutors allege that Fritz twice introduced contraband into the prison during the month of March 2025, resulting in charges including one count of illegal conveyance of drugs onto grounds of a specified governmental lockup, two counts of aggravated possession of drugs, one count of possession of marijuana, and one count of possessing criminal tools. Following his termination from the job last year, Fritz was scheduled for a January 23, 2026, arraignment.

Ohio: In a display of administrative incompetence, Hamilton County jailers “erroneously” released 25-year-old Rondez Horton in September 2025, just days after he was sentenced to 3–4 years in state prison. WXIX in Cincinnati reported that despite Judge Wende Cross remanding Horton into immediate custody for robbery, jailers released him following his plea in an unrelated traffic case. Horton remained at large for four months until his January 2, 2026, arrest in Kentucky. Rather than admitting the clerical blunder, the Sheriff’s Office attempted to deflect blame by filing “escape” charges, preposterously claiming Horton failed to return from a “temporary leave” that the sentencing judge never authorized. This failure is indicative of the chaotic mismanagement prevalent in county lockups, where bureaucratic errors frequently compromise the basic functions of jails. A spokesperson for the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office blamed the error on outdated formats in the jail’s management system that intake guards use.

Oklahoma: Audrey Callison, also known as Audrey Bush, a jailer for the Haskell County Sheriff’s Office in Stigler, was arrested on January 14, 2026, following allegations of “inappropriate contact” with a detainee. According to KFOR in Oklahoma City, the victim was reportedly classified as a trustee, a status granted to prisoners for good behavior which allows them special privileges and lockup work assignments. Sheriff Terry Garland confirmed that the Stigler Police Department and the FBI are conducting a joint investigation into the misconduct. Callison now faces pending charges from the District Attorney’s Office. Sheriff Garland cited a “zero tolerance” policy regarding staff misconduct, which federal law frequently classifies as sexual assault due to the inherent power imbalance.

South Carolina: Former state DOC guard Kyle Daniel Quinn, 28, was arrested on December 17, 2025, The State reported, for his role in a contraband smuggling ring at Lieber Correctional Institution. Quinn, a Summerville resident, was fired and charged with misconduct in office, criminal conspiracy, and bribery. Arrest warrants reveal that from January to March of 2025, Quinn conspired with Sumter resident Jamie Ingrid Brooks and an unidentified prisoner to traffic illicit goods into the high-security prison. Brooks allegedly hand-delivered cash and packages to Quinn for delivery inside the “close custody” prison. Quinn was released the day following his arrest on a $100,000 bond. He was scheduled for a court appearance on February 4, 2026.

South Carolina: Patricia Robertson, 60, a former South Carolina DOC guard, was arrested on December 30, 2025, for smuggling nearly a pound of tobacco into the Wateree River Correctional Institution in Rembert. According to WACH in Columbia, the DOC Inspector General reported that Robertson bypassed security by concealing 461.7 grams of vacuum-sealed tobacco inside her work bag. Robertson faces charges of providing contraband to prisoners and misconduct in office and was immediately terminated from her position.

Tennessee: WBBJ in Jackson reported that due to his involvement in a major security breach, former Dyer County Jail guard Tyrell Wallace, 41, was sentenced to ten years in federal prison on December 29, 2025. Wallace’s goal was to flood the Dyer County Jail with a massive cache of narcotics. Wallace’s October 2024 arrest exposed a dangerous disregard for jail safety; he was intercepted reporting for duty with over 50 grams of methamphetamine, 150 fentanyl pills, marijuana, crack cocaine, and Suboxone. The misconduct was further aggravated by the fact that Wallace was armed with a loaded 9mm pistol and 40 rounds of ammunition while transporting the contraband.

Tennessee: Shelby County’s 201 Poplar jail is in the spotlight following a Facebook Live broadcast by Derrick McDonald, a paralyzed detainee who documented “deplorable” conditions in the jail’s medical unit. WMC-TV in Memphis reported that McDonald, who remained in soiled clothing for two days, was concerned that medical staff flatly refused his requests for basic hygiene care. His video exposed an environment infested with “thousands of roaches” and mold and made worse by profound staff indifference. Predictably, the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office responded by prioritizing the “security breach” of the cell phone over the documented human rights violations and launched an investigation into how the device entered the jail. As of December 30, 2025, a warrant had been issued to arrest McDonald for bringing contraband into a penal facility, a felony offense. While Sheriff Floyd Bonner deflected blame toward the county’s private medical contractor, Wellpath, McDonald’s account points to a routine degradation of disabled prisoners. Medical, dental, and mental health services are provided to prisoners in Shelby County by WellPath, despite concerns over contract awards and quality of care. Wellpath was formerly known as Correct Care Solutions (CCS). McDonald was released in November 2025, yet the jail’s filth remains.

Texas: Former Webb County Jail guard Hector Humberto Rodriguez Jr., 29, was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison on December 17, 2025, for the sexual assault of two prisoners. According to Dallas Express, the court established that, in January 2022, Rodriguez used his position of authority to remove women from their cells and transport them to isolated areas of the jail where he used force, threats, and coercion to commit the assaults. Rodriguez will face five years of supervised release after his prison sentence and must register as a sex offender.

Texas: ABC News reported that the family of deceased Texas prison guard Jovian Motley, 27, and attorney Justin A. Moore of Stafford Moore, PLCC in Dallas, filed a wrongful death lawsuit on December 19, 2025, against the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ), alleging the agency manufactured a false narrative to cover up lethal negligence. While the state secured a life sentence for prisoner Jabari Lewis for fatally strangling Motley during a November 2023 cell extraction at the Wainwright Unit in Lovelady, the medical examiner found no evidence of strangulation specifically, citing the more general term “mechanical asphyxiation” instead. The lawsuit describes a chaotic, poorly justified extraction triggered by a blocked food slot.

Guards were allegedly ordered into a dark cell saturated with chemical spray while Motley wore an improperly fitted, defective respirator. The lawsuit names Avon Technologies, the manufacturer of the respirator that Motley wore when he died, as a co-defendant. The complaint further alleges that Motley was exhausted from working back-to-back shifts due to chronic understaffing. By pinning the death on a prisoner, the family argues, the TDCJ is shielding leadership from accountability for failing to protect its own staff.

Texas: Jail guard Lori Ann Taylor, 39, was arrested on December 4, 2025, for transforming her position at the Young County Jail into a criminal enterprise, The Graham Leader reported. According to a probable cause affidavit, Taylor allegedly conspired with at least seven individuals, including several prisoners, to smuggle contraband into the jail in exchange for cash. Now facing felony charges of bribery and engaging in organized criminal activity, Taylor allegedly used her official status to facilitate illicit deliveries. Taylor was released on a $150,000 bond.

Washington: The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington announced that Bureau of Indian Affairs guard Darren Bowannie, 35, was sentenced to 168 months in federal prison on December 2, 2025, for the sexual abuse of a prisoner in custody. Bowannie committed the assault while transporting the unnamed victim on February 9, 2024, as they were immobilized in hand and foot restraints. PLN previously reported Bowannie’s indictment in September 2024 for deprivation of rights under color of law. [See: PLN, Nov. 2024, p. 62.] Despite Bowannie’s lies to the FBI, DNA evidence corroborated the victim’s immediate report of the attack. U.S. District Judge Mary K. Dimke also imposed a ten-year term of supervised release.

Washington: Franklin County Jail guard Lynette Craig, 41, was arrested on December 11, 2025, on charges of official misconduct and rendering criminal assistance by providing privileged information to prisoners. According to the Tri-City Herald, Craig also goes by the last name of Yasin. The investigation, launched in November 2025, revealed the guard leaked sensitive details regarding a house-party shooting that left six people wounded. Franklin was no longer an employee as of December 12, 2025.

Wisconsin: According to WMTV in Madison, Luz Naranjo, 46, a former guard at the Waupun Correctional Institution near Beaver Dam, pleaded guilty on January 15, 2026, to conspiring to commit federal programs bribery. An FBI investigation revealed that Naranjo accepted two $3,000 payments to smuggle tobacco, cell phones, and controlled substances into the prison for a prisoner. The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Wisconsin and highlighted ongoing corruption within the state’s embattled prison system. Naranjo faces a maximum of five years in federal prison at her April 15, 2026, sentencing. PLN has reported on concerning conditions at Waupun for decades. The most recent reported that felony misconduct charges filed against eight staffers had been resolved for two who cut deals for leniency, including former Warden Hepp, who agreed to plead guilty to a misdemeanor and pay a $500 fine. [See: PLN, June 2025, p.40.] 

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