Walter Richardson, 23, of Cincinnati, was sentenced today to a mandatory 12-month prison term by Warren County Common Pleas Court Judge Timothy Tepe.
In January, Richardson pleaded guilty to illegal conveyance of drugs into a detention facility and possession of drugs.
“This is the second conviction within the past month of a corrections officer attempting to convey drugs into one of our local prisons. We hope this sends a message to other prison personnel that if we catch you bringing drugs into the prison, you’ll be joining the inmates behind bars,” Warren County Prosecutor David P. Fornshell said in a press release issued in January.
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A mandatory prison term is required, because Richardson was an employee of the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, which manages the state prison system.
On Friday, Aug. 26, Richardson reported to duty at the prison and was subjected to a routine inspection.
Officials discovered 100 Suboxone strips, a Schedule III controlled substance, concealed in the finger of a rubber glove in his pocket.
Further investigation by prison investigators and the Ohio State Highway Patrol revealed that another inmate, who Richardson would not identify, paid Richardson $1,000 to deliver a package of the drugs into the prison.
Richardson immediately resigned his employment and was placed under arrest.
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